Max Robinson
Max Robinson was a pioneering African American journalist born on May 1, 1939, in Richmond, Virginia. The son of schoolteachers, he faced the challenges of growing up under the Jim Crow laws that enforced racial segregation. Robinson began honing his public speaking skills as a teenager and later interrupted his college education to pursue a career in television news during a time of significant racial tension. He made history as the first African American to anchor a newscast in Washington, D.C., and became known for his compelling on-camera presence and rigorous reporting style.
Throughout his career, Robinson received several accolades, including national Emmy Awards and recognition as Journalist of the Year from the Capitol Press Club. He was also a founding member of the National Association of Black Journalists, which sought to improve representation and address issues of racism within the media. Despite his success, Robinson faced personal struggles, including battles with alcohol and depression, and he ultimately contracted AIDS. In his later years, he focused on painting and writing, advocating for AIDS education until his death in 1988. Robinson's contributions to journalism remain significant, helping to pave the way for future generations of African American journalists.
Max Robinson
- Born: May 1, 1939
- Birthplace: Richmond, Virginia
- Died: December 20, 1988
- Place of death: Washington, D.C.
Journalist
In 1978, Robinson became the first African American network television anchorman as the Chicago-based member of a three-anchor ABC World News Tonight team. He spoke candidly about race, racism, and the news media and was embroiled in clashes with his employers. He also was a founding member of the National Association of Black Journalists.
Early Life
Maxie Cleveland Robinson, Jr., was born May 1, 1939, in Richmond, Virginia. He was the oldest son of schoolteachers Maxie, Sr., and Doris Robinson. His younger brother, Randall, grew up to lead the TransAfrica Forum, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group. Robinson also had two sisters.
At age fourteen, Robinson honed his public-speaking skills as an announcer on black radio stations with jazz formats. He attended Oberlin College of Ohio on a scholarship but interrupted his studies at age nineteen to work in the growing television news industry in Portsmouth, Virginia. At that time, there was massive resistance by white Virginia political leaders to the growing African American Civil Rights movement throughout the country. Robinson, as a Black man, experienced firsthand the racism and injustice of Virginia's Jim Crow laws, which mandated racial segregation and restricted opportunities for African Americans.
Life’s Work
Robinson was the lone African American among thirty candidates for the anchorman job, yet his talent trumped the odds. A white man was hired to anchor Monday-Friday broadcasts and Robinson was given the weekend broadcasts. There was a catch, however: The television station did not show Robinson’s face during the news broadcasts. After a number of newscasts, Robinson demanded to appear on camera. The owner reluctantly fired him, saying that the station had been flooded with phone calls from viewers who had not realized that the voice they were hearing belonged to a black man.
That year, Robinson joined the US Air Force. Color blindness disqualified him from flying, so he was dispatched to Indiana University to study Russian and become a language specialist. Robinson completed his military obligation and resumed his search for work in television news.
In the early 1960’s, Robinson became a cameraman-reporter for WTOP-TV in Washington, D.C. In 1966, he joined WRC-TV, also in Washington, as a Capitol Hill correspondent. He also was named host of Today in Washington. Robinson’s work earned him a national Emmy Award and Journalist of the Year recognition from the Capitol Press Club. Robinson returned to WTOP-TV in 1969 and made history as the first African American to anchor a newscast in Washington, D.C. He remained at that station until 1978.
In December, 1975, Robinson was one of the forty-four founders of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), which organized in Washington. In July, 1978, he was selected to coanchor ABC’s World News Tonight and dispatched to Chicago. The tandem-style evening news report included Frank Reynolds in Washington and Peter Jennings in London. Robinson’s rigorous reporting, on-camera presence, and resonant voice earned him respect and recognition. Robinson won another Emmy in 1981. That year, he shared the NABJ Journalist of the Year award with Robert C. Maynard, editor of The Oakland Tribune.
Robinson told biographer Wallace Terry that he was the first local television news anchor to go directly to network news. That feat was a blessing and curse. Coworkers who resented Robinson avoided teaching him the conventions needed to become a well-rounded network-level journalist. However, Robinson’s raw talent was undeniable. ABC News president Roone Arledge was shocked to learn that, unlike most correspondents, Robinson did many stories without reading his lines from a monitor. Robinson also did not prerecord his dispatches, so he appeared more natural on camera.
Robinson, however, was impatient with the slow pace of improving race relations and did not hesitate to speak out about against ongoing racism in the US. In February, 1981, Robinson told an audience at Smith College in Massachusetts that the news media were “a crooked mirror” through which “white America views itself,” and that “only by talking about racism, by taking a personal risk, will I take myself out of the mean, racist trap all Black Americans find themselves in.” Robinson said afterward that he did not intend to single out ABC for criticism. However in subsequent incidents, he criticized the television networks, including his employer ABC, for racist practices.
When Reynolds died in 1983, ABC News ended the three-anchor evening format and Jennings became World News Tonight’s lone anchor. Robinson remained at ABC for a year and a half and delivered weekend reports among other duties. In February, 1984, he joined NBC affiliate WMAQ-TV in Chicago as coanchor of its evening news, but he left the station in 1985. Robinson later acknowledged struggles with alcohol and depression throughout his career. His three marriages ended in divorce, and he fathered four children. By 1985, he had contracted acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).
Robinson spent the final years of his life painting and writing an autobiography. When he died in 1988, friend Roger Wilkins said Robinson had requested that his death be used as an occasion to emphasize the importance of AIDS education.
Significance
Robinson made important strides for African Americans in the news media with his work as a reporter and anchor. His authoritative air and charisma made him a successful on-camera presence, although he was often frustrated by prejudice he encountered. His work, however, paved the way for generations of African American journalists in many media.
Bibliography
Dawkins, Wayne. Black Journalists: The NABJ Story. Merrillville, Ind.: August Press, 1997. This history of the NABJ includes details of Robinson’s career and activism.
Gunther, Marc. The House that Roone Built: The Inside Story of ABC News. Boston: Little, Brown, 1994. Offers insight into Robinson’s history-making stint as World News Tonight coanchor and the conflicts between the journalist and network officials.
Terry, Wallace. “Max Robinson.” In Missing Pages: Black Journalists of Modern America—An Oral History. New York: Carroll & Graf, 2007. Provides an overview of Robinson’s career and incorporates interviews regarding major milestones in his work.