Former Los Angeles Times Publisher and CNN President Tom Johnson will discuss his new book Driven: A Life in Public Service and Journalism from LBJ to CNN as part of the University of Georgia’s Fall 2025 Signature Lecture series on Wednesday, October 29. The public conversation with Red and Black Executive Director Charlotte Varnum will begin at 4 p.m. at the UGA Special Collections Libraries Building, with a light reception and a book signing to follow.
Driven brings a seasoned perspective to today’s conversations about government, media, and the future of truth in the form of a deeply personal and long-awaited autobiography by Johnson, the award-winning journalist who helped shape the 24-hour news media as we know it. Johnson’s storied career began as a student reporter at the Macon Telegraph and Red & Black and spans the Lyndon B. Johnson administration through the executive leadership of the LA Times and, finally, Ted Turner’s upstart CNN in Atlanta.
Johnson is also candid about his lifelong struggle with depression and has actively worked in retirement as a leader in mental health, cancer research, Alzheimer’s, and addiction treatment and recovery. With more than eight decades behind him, Driven is not just Johnson’s look at the past but a chance for his story to offer guidance about finding balance in an uncertain future.
“Tom Johnson has lived and worked at the heartbeat of history, and the value and originality of his memoirs are self-evident. This book offers fresh, new details and insight into some of the most historic events of the late 20th century,” said Ashton G. Ellett, director of the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies at University of Georgia.
This event is co-sponsored by the University of Georgia Press, the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, the Willson Center for Humanities & Arts, the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, and The Red & Black.
This event is free and open to the public. Parking is available in the Hull Street Deck directly across from the Special Collections Libraries building.
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About the University of Georgia Press:
Since its founding in 1938, the primary mission of the University of Georgia Press has been to publish innovative scholarship and compelling stories that inspire and inform the people of Georgia and the world. The UGA Press is the oldest and largest book publisher in the state, currently publishes 60–70 new books a year, and has a long history of publishing significant scholarship, creative and literary works, and books about the state and the region for general readers. To learn more about the UGA Press and its publications, authors, and events, visit www.ugapress.org.
About the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication:
Sanctioned by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications, Grady College is a leader in journalism research and education. The College is home to several prominent centers and institutes, including the Peabody Awards, recognized as the most prestigious award in electronic journalism. Grady’s faculty includes internationally known researchers and respected industry professionals. Alumni include Peabody Award-winning journalists, Emmy Award-winning producers Cannes Lions Award-winning agency creatives and more.
About the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts:
The Willson Center promotes research, practice, and creativity in the humanities and arts. It supports an innovative community of scholars, artists, and practitioners with grants and fellowships, and serves the whole public through its offerings of lectures, conversations, conferences, exhibitions, and performances. It is committed to excellence, impact, and collaboration.
About the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies:
The Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies was established in 1974 by the Richard B. Russell Foundation, Inc., Georgia General Assembly, and Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. The Library’s original mission was to collect and preserve materials documenting the life and career of U.S. Senator Richard B. Russell, Jr. The Library's holdings have since expanded to include approximately 600 manuscript collections and more than 2,000 oral history interviews documenting modern (1900-present) politics and public policy, with a primary focus of Georgia and Georgians. The Russell Library enjoys a national reputation as one of the largest and foremost repositories for modern congressional papers.
About the Red & Black:
As the largest student-led news organization in Georgia, The Red & Black’s independent newsroom covers the University of Georgia and Athens, with daily reporting on news, sports, arts, culture and more at redandblack.com. Founded in 1893, the paper operated for 87 years under the University of Georgia and was approved as an independent organization in 1980. Today, we operate as a nonprofit with dual missions: giving students hands-on training in the news industry and providing our community with reliable, independent news and information funded through advertising sales and donations.