Joshua Johnson (journalist)

{{short description|American journalist and radio host (born 1980)}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Joshua Johnson

| image =

| caption = Portrait of Joshua Johnson

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1980|3|22}}

| birth_place = West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| alma_mater = University of Miami

| occupation =

| employer = {{hlist|NBC News (2019–2022)|The Onion (2024–present)}}

}}

Joshua Johnson (born March 22, 1980){{cite tweet|last=Johnson|first=Joshua|user=jejohnson322|number=579855618971815937|date=March 22, 2015|title=Wait: you missed my birthday today?!?}}{{cite news|last=Heil|first=Emily|date=February 9, 2018|title=5 Minutes With: '1A' radio host Joshua Johnson|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/reliable-source/wp/2018/02/09/5-minutes-with-1a-radio-host-joshua-johnson/ |quote=...Johnson, a 37-year-old transplant from San Francisco...}} is an American journalist. He is the former host of 1A, which is produced by WAMU and nationally distributed by NPR. In 2019, he joined MSNBC and hosted The Week with Joshua Johnson; he later hosted Now Tonight with Joshua Johnson on NBC News Now.{{cite web|title=Joshua Johnson exits 'Now Tonight with Joshua Johnson' on NBC after almost one year|date=November 19, 2022|access-date=March 4, 2023|url=https://news.yahoo.com/joshua-johnson-exits-now-tonight-211254246.html}} In 2024 he appeared in a few videos for The Onion, a news satire organization.

Early life

Johnson was born and raised in West Palm Beach, Florida, the only son of a public school teacher and Vietnam veteran. He became interested in journalism as a child, inspired by African American journalists such as Ed Bradley, Bernard Shaw, and Dwight Lauderdale.

Career

Johnson graduated from the University of Miami and began his career in public radio working for a collaborative project between WLRN and the Miami Herald, from 2004 to 2010.{{cite news|last1=Farhi|first1=Paul|title=Diane Rehm's station taps Joshua Johnson, a lesser-known radio host, as her successor|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/diane-rehms-station-taps-joshua-johnson-a-lesser-known-radio-host-as-her-successor/2016/11/16/0303753c-ab78-11e6-8b45-f8e493f06fcd_story.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=November 16, 2016}}{{cite news|last1=Beaujon|first1=Andrew|title=Diane Rehm's Replacement Wants His Show to Be Relentlessly Civil, Even Nowadays|url=https://www.washingtonian.com/2016/11/18/joshua-johnson-replace-diane-rehm-wamu-1a/|work=Washingtonian|date=November 18, 2016}}

In 2010, Johnson relocated to San Francisco to work for KQED, an NPR affiliate, where he served as morning newscaster until early 2016. In 2016, he hosted the radio series Truth Be Told, produced by KQED and distributed by Public Radio International.{{cite news|last1=Falk|first1=Tyler|title=New KQED radio pilot gets personal about race|url=https://current.org/2016/03/new-kqed-radio-pilot-gets-personal-about-race/|work=Current|date=March 8, 2016}} Truth Be Told dealt with issues of race in America, and four episodes were broadcast nationally.{{cite news|last1=Montgomery|first1=David|title=Meet Joshua Johnson, Diane Rehm's successor — and a bold move for WAMU|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/meet-joshua-johnson-diane-rehms-successor--and-a-big-gamble-for-wamu/2017/02/01/6ad4eb26-d8d4-11e6-9f9f-5cdb4b7f8dd7_story.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=February 2, 2017}} He was also a substitute host of KQED's Forum and taught courses in podcasting at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.{{cite news|last1=DiGuglielmo|first1=Joey|title=Diane Rehm successor is not who you'd expect|url=http://www.washingtonblade.com/2017/03/15/joshua-johnson-interview/|work=Washington Blade|date=March 15, 2017}} In September 2016, he guest hosted The Diane Rehm Show for two days, and in November, Rehm announced Johnson would be taking over her time slot.

Johnson served as the host of 1A, which was distributed by NPR, from 2017 through 2019. In late 2019, he announced that he would be leaving 1A on December 20 to become an anchor for MSNBC in 2020.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/msnbc-joshua-johnson-anchor-npr-1a-1203409198/|last=Steinberg|first=Brian|title=MSNBC Adds Joshua Johnson to Anchor Ranks|website=Variety|date=November 19, 2019|access-date=November 29, 2019}}

In November 2022 Johnson left Now Tonight on NBC News Now. Since 2024, he has appeared in the Onion News Network as anchor Dwight Richmond.{{Cite news |last=Sommer |first=Will |date=October 2, 2024 |title=The Onion is pivoting to video — no joke — with a former MSNBC anchor |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2024/09/30/the-onion-news-network-joshua-johnson-host/ |access-date=October 2, 2024 |newspaper=The Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}{{cite web | last=Johnson | first=Joshua | title=Why I anchor The Onion News Network | website=The Night Light with Joshua Johnson | date=4 October 2024 | url=https://www.nightlightshow.com/p/why-i-anchor-the-onion-news-network | access-date=4 November 2024}}

Personal life

Johnson declines to discuss his own personal opinions, and says he has been called both conservative and liberal.{{cite news|last1=Villarreal|first1=Yezmin|title=Joshua Johnson Is Part of NPR's New Generation|url=https://www.advocate.com/media/2017/5/22/joshua-johnson-part-nprs-new-generation|work=The Advocate|date=May 22, 2017|language=en}}

Johnson is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists,{{cite web|title=Joshua Johnson|url=https://wamu.org/person/joshua-johnson/|publisher=WAMU|access-date=December 16, 2017}} and the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association.