When BET decided to launch a new current affairs and news program, longtime correspondent Jeff Johnson was the first to come to mind when it came to representation. Since joining the network, the Cleveland native has become the face of BET News programming, interviewing figures ranging from Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama to Minister Louis Farrakhan. With this burgeoning relationship in mind, Johnson and BET joined forces to create one of the network’s newest offerings, “The Truth with Jeff Johnson.”

Johnson says the weekly show provides more than just a recap of the top news stories. “We’ll be covering the news, but we’ll be covering it from our perspective,” he explains.

The show also features a panel discussion and debate segment in which many of the week’s top issues are dissected and debated. He believes this unique format will appeal to BET viewers across the board. “Hopefully, people will find it provocative and we’ll talk about things that you’re not going to hear in other news outlets,” he says.

Although the network came under fire several years ago when it decided to cancel its nightly news programming in favor of much-shorter briefs, Johnson says it was always the network’s intention to re-introduce longer news programming to its audience. “It was the next step for BET News. The plan was always, ‘how do we go from doing the specials that we’ve been doing to having a weekly regular show?’ ” he says. “This was just the next evolution of what BET News looks like and I’m just thankful there was a role for me.”
- ivory m. jones

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