Beyonce’s premiere of her visual albumLemonadeon HBO this past weekend has caused some tough criticism from Mail Online’s editor-at-large, Piers Morgan, who labeled Beyonce a “militant activist.” In an exclusive interview with Watch Loud, the Houston singer’s father, Mathew Knowles, defends his daughter against the British journalist’s criticism.
“We’ve been in this business for 25 years now and in 25 years the media has changed drastically,” Mathew Knowles says. “Twenty five years ago, there was journalists. They took journalistic approach. It was important to them that the information that they wrote was accurate, it was truthful and that they had done research. Today, that’s a different story. We can’t say that with pride.”
In an essay Morgan wrote for Daily Mail titled, “Jay-Z’s not the only one who needs to be nervous about Beyonce, the born-again-black woman with a political mission,” he challenges Bey’s past position on race and politics.
“Now, it seems to be the complete opposite,” Piers writes in his controversial column. “The new Beyonce wants to be seen as a black woman political activist first and foremost, entertainer and musician second.”
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He also questioned the Lemonade singer including the mother’s of Mike Brown and Trayvon Martin in her video, accusing her of exploitation.
However, Mathew Knowles doesn’t blame today’s journalists for abandoning journalism ethics and standards since it’s ultimately all about advertising dollars and the bottom line.
“It’s about impact,” Mathew Knowles continues. “It’s about getting a story. It’s about sensationalism. We’re grownups. We don’t look at that. You can never make me angry. Only I can make me angry and that’s the whole psychological process. People can’t make me angry. Only I can get me angry, so I don’t get angry from that. I understand how it works. I understand the agenda for most is, ‘We have to sell advertising and we have to have an audience and if we have to sensationalize to get an audience we will ’cause if we don’t, we don’t have a job.’”
When asked about how his relationship with his daughter is among rumors that they aren’t on good terms, the proud father points to the Lemonade visual for the answer.
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“I think if one would look at the HBO special then you’d see what everybody else saw,” the Music World head honcho says. “They saw me talking to Beyonce when she was a young child and challenging her, even then, to understand where she was coming from and critical thinking, but you also seen me diving on the bed and playing with Blue Ivy, so that kinda answers your question right there.”
For additional Beyonce coverage, watch the following DX Daily.
