We Have Proof! The Chicago Defender was Featured on Jeopardy

May 20, 2023

Chicago Defender Jeopardy game show Question — Once upon a time, the Chicago Defender was featured on the Jeopardy! game show (Photo: Screen grab).

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Tacuma R. Roeback is the Managing Editor for the Chicago Defender. His journalism, non-fiction, and fiction have appeared in the Smithsonian Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tennessean, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Phoenix New Times, HipHopDX.com, Okayplayer.com, The Shadow League, SAGE: The Encyclopedia of Identity, Downstate Story, Tidal Basin Review, and Reverie: Midwest African American Literature. He is an alumnus of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, Chicago State University, and Florida A&M University.

For the last couple of years, we have heard the whispers.

Once upon a time, “Jeopardy!” featured the Chicago Defender as a question. Almost a year after the episode initially aired, someone from our publication saw a rerun that featured our question. Even still, obtaining proof of this moment had been difficult.

That is until now.

After scouring the internet for the “Jeopardy!” episode number and searching through YouTube, we have obtained hardcore video proof. The Defender was featured as a question on the venerable game show on May 18, 2020 (episode #8216) — three years ago when Alex Trebek was the host.

We’ve clipped the video from YouTube, which you can view below.

Also, a special shoutout goes to Megan, a writer and editor from Redlands, California, who nailed the answer.

Enjoy!