Alas, many journalists will never know this and write about it, because they don't spend time learning C and UNIX (whereas they do spend time using learning and Apple products that are built with C and UNIX).
It's not because journalists don't spend their time learning C and UNIX — it's that they (and their readers) don't care.
It's like saying that Mark Zuckerburg shouldn't get so much credit for Facebook because without Rasmus Lerdorf (creator of PHP) it would have been impossible for him to build the site.
The number of people that care about Steve Jobs/iPhones/iPods/Facebook = a lot.
The number of people that care about Dennis Ritchie/C/UNIX/Rasmus Lerdorf = a much smaller number.
Being a genius pioneer in an industry oftentimes does not bring notoriety with it. Bringing a product/service to others not in that industry oftentimes does.