"Driven"

Abstract of a recently indexed book

Submitted in April 2025

“Driven: A Life in Public Service and Journalism from LBJ to CNN,” by Tom Johnson, will be published by University of Georgia Press, in 2025.

Starting with his childhood in Georgia, Tom Johnson describes his youthful work ethic and early drive to succeed, and how that drive propelled him through his roles in his high school and college newspapers, to the Lyndon B. Johnson White House and later, the (LBJ) family company, before moving on to the LA Times and eventually, CNN. Johnson reflects on his experience of the events of the 1960s as well as his profound and lifelong love of journalism; he provides anecdotes not just about his career, but about his family and the people he worked with; and he gives insights into the impacts workaholism and depression, noting how his career drive affected his personal life and his family in particular. He also discusses the current state of journalism and news media, and offers advice for news consumers, producers, and media owners based on his own gathered wisdom.