John Johnson (reporter) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Johnson
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Johnson in 1995
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| Born | June 20, 1938 New York City, U.S.
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| Education | B.A. City College of NY
M.A. City College of NY Honorary Doctorate St. Thomas Aquinas College |
| Alma mater | City College of New York |
| Occupation | Documentary filmmaker, television correspondent/anchorman, Artist (canvas painting), author |
| Spouse(s) |
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| Children | 4 (as of 1996) |
John Johnson (born June 20, 1938) is an American TV news anchor, reporter, documentary filmmaker, and artist. He was a well-known reporter in New York City for many years.
Contents
Early Life and Education
John Johnson studied art at the City College of New York. He first wanted to be an art teacher. Later, he taught fine art as a professor at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania.
Television News Career
Starting at ABC News
In 1968, John Johnson joined ABC News. He became the first African American person to produce, direct, and write documentaries for a major TV network. He was praised for his documentaries Welfare Game and Strangers in Their Own Land: The Puerto Ricans. He also became one of the first black filmmakers in the important Directors Guild of America. Later, Johnson became a network reporter. He covered big stories like the Attica Prison riot.
Reporting for WABC-TV
In 1972, Johnson began working at WABC in New York City. He helped create the "Eyewitness News" style of reporting there. This style was new in New York in 1968. Years later, Johnson said that the news team was like a "microcosm of America." This meant it had people from many different backgrounds. He said, "We were black, white, Jewish, Latino. That’s why it became so beloved."
In the late 1980s, Johnson sometimes anchored the 6 p.m. news. He shared this job with Kaity Tong and Bill Beutel. Before this, he had also anchored weekend news and worked as a reporter. He later went back to being a senior reporter.
Major Stories Covered
As a senior reporter, Johnson covered many important events. He reported on Nelson Mandela's release from prison in South Africa. He also covered Mandela's election as president. Johnson reported from the first Gulf War and the Bosnian War. He was one of the first reporters to arrive with American troops in Somalia. One of his last big assignments at WABC was reporting on the O. J. Simpson murder case in 1994-1995.
Moving to Other Stations
In March 1995, Johnson left WABC. In June of that year, he became a co-anchor at WCBS. He anchored the 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts. He stayed at WCBS until October 1996. At that time, he and several other well-known people were let go.
Johnson quickly found new work. He and his WCBS co-anchor, Michele Marsh, were hired by WNBC. They anchored the station's new noon newscast. After one year, Johnson left WNBC to care for his father, who was very ill. He never returned to TV news after that.
During his 30 years in television news, John Johnson won nine Emmys. He also received many other awards. These awards were for his work as a reporter, producer, writer, and director.
Autobiography
In 2002, John Johnson published his autobiography called Only Son: A Memoir. This book was also published in China in Chinese. In his book, Johnson writes about growing up in Harlem and Bedford-Stuyvesant in New York City.
Painting Career
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Before his TV career, Johnson was a professor of fine arts. He was also the head of the Arts Department at Lincoln University. He also gave guest lectures at other universities.
After he stopped working in TV news, Johnson went back to painting. He has said that his paintings have been shown at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. They have also been shown at the Walter Wickiser Gallery in Manhattan.
Media Appearances
John Johnson has played himself in movies like Cop Land and 54. He was also featured in the award-winning documentary Eyes on the Prize. In 2021, he was in another documentary called Attica. This film was nominated for an Oscar.
Personal Life
John Johnson was previously married to journalist E. Jean Carroll. As of 1996, he had four children. As of 2021, he is married to Ann Yih Johnson.
