Nicholas Johnson     Recent Publications

Since June 23, 2006, Nicholas Johnson as been managing the blog, FromDC2Iowa.blogspot.com. Although the blog entries since then are not listed here, many are substantial essays that anyone visiting this "Recent Publications" page might be interested in knowing about. An index of those hundreds of blog entries is available at http://www.nicholasjohnson.org/BlogStuf/Blog Index.xls.

Some of the linked texts created prior to 1998 make reference to an outdated, incorrect, e-mail address which is no longer in use:  1035393@mcimail.com. The current, correct e-mail address for contacting Nicholas Johnson is:

"Adults Decisions Increase Violence in Public Schools" Published by the Iowa City Press-Citizen, January 16, 2008.

"Assessing the Presidential Picks: Qualities to Keep in Mind When Picking a President" Published by the Iowa City Press-Citizen, December 22, 2007.

"UI Show Insightful and Entertaining" Published by the Iowa City Press-Citizen, December 7, 2007.

"Binge Drinkers for 21 Ordinance" Published by The Daily Iowan, October 29, 2007.

"'@#$%& the FCC' and the Case for Deleting Expletives" Published by the Iowa City Press-Citizen, October 27, 2007.

"Courage, Councilors" Published by the Iowa City Press-Citizen, October 3, 2007.

Your Second Priority (Myrtle Orchard Press-Lulu, Morrisville, North Carolina, Sept. 2007, 208 pp.)

"Public Officials and Private Actions" Published by the Iowa City Press-Citizen, August 11, 2007.

"In Media Concentration Age, Fairness Needed More" Published by <i>The Gazette</i> [Eastern Iowa], July 17, 2007.

"Activism: Having a Positive Impact on the World" Nicholas Johnson's address to the Resources for Life Conference, Iowa City, Iowa, July 7, 2007.

"Where Are We Going? Who's Going With Us?" Published by the Iowa City Press-Citizen, June 19, 2007.

"A Fight Over Video Services: Rein in Prices by Keeping Tough Local Regulation" Telephone companies are free to enter into the cable television business under the same terms as cable companies. Not satisfied with this "level playing field" they've been working over state legislatures in an effort to tilt the field in their favor with special terms for themselves that opponents believe do not well serve present cable subscribers or the cities that have issued them franchises. (In Iowa, it also involved campaign contributions of some $165,000.) The Des Moines Register wanted to present the arguments pro and con regarding the version of this legislation pending before the Iowa Legislature. It chose Max Phillips, President of Qwest Iowa, to present the company's position, and Nicholas Johnson to present the opposition. Johnson itemizes a significant list of ways in which the bill will hurt Iowans. Published April 12, 2007; listing added May 7, 2007; not yet uploaded.

"Process Matters Most in Election" When the University of Iowa Community Credit Union CEO and Board decided to change the credit union's name to "Optiva," there was a good deal of opposition among the members -- eventually enough to overturn that decision, at a membership meeting February 28, 2007. Much of the opposition was directed at the name, "Optiva." But there was also concern about the way in which it was done, as Johnson explained in a piece in the Press-Citizen, "Process Matters Most in Election." He wrote, "For UICCU administrators to make genuine efforts to seek out members opinions before making decisions is like fastening their seat belts: 'It's not just a good idea, it's the law.'" (Congress has provided that credit unions are "member-owned, democratically operated . . . organizations.") He concluded, "Process isn't trivial. It's the heart and soul of credit unions, without which we're just 'bank customers' risking loss of the legal benefits, along with responsibilities, of membership." Published February 27, 2007; listing added May 7, 2007; not yet uploaded.

"Poetic License: The Iowa Bets Song" As the Press-Citizen explains, "Poetic License is a weekly feature in which the Press-Citizen asks local residents to comment poetically on current events." Nicholas Johnson was asked to comment on the controversy surrounding the use of the copyright "Iowa Fights Song" (and other obvious ties to the University and its athletic program) as the basis for a commercial promoting the joys of playing the Iowa Lottery. Johnson's proposed parody of the commercial, which he titled "The Iowa Bets Song," was as follows:

Published February 19, 2007; listing added May 7, 2007; not yet uploaded.

"Talking Back to Your Television Set 37 Years Later" The Unitarian-Universalist Society of Iowa City asked Johnson to speak to its "Worthley Club" February 6, 2007. As this was the 37th anniversary of the publication of his book, How to Talk Back to Your Television Set, Johnson chose to review some of the changes -- and remaining challenges -- in broadcasting during those years. The topics the text addresses include conditions in the 1920s, the impact of cable television and the Internet, the continuing "obligations, and limits, of capitalism," some propoals, "content, conduit, and the First Amendment," political broadcasting reforms, ownership limits and diversity of views, and the "adequacy of American journalism." Uploaded April 18, 2007.

"It's Sure Cheapter Than a Rain Forest" When Iowa's Senator Chuck Grassley questioned the propriety of permitting tax deductions for contributions to college football programs, Johnson agreed that the IRS' definition of "charitable" ("relief of the poor" or "defending  human and civil rights") didn't sound much like football. But he came back with a proposal of his own: "Keep 'the Iowa Hawkeyes.' Keep Kinnick Stadium. Keep the tailgating and drunken crowds. But make the football program its own, separate for-profit corporation. It keeps the football revenue, but pays to lease Kinnick. The corporation could pay the coach whatever it wanted. It might even pay the players a little fairer share of those revenues, too." Published February 3, 2007; uploaded April 18, 2007.

"New Jail Isn't Answer" In response to a Daily Iowan editorial advocating a new jail for Johnson County, Iowa, Johnson agrees that prisoners "are still people and still entitled to decent care," but asserts that's "not the issue." "Some see crowded jails and want to buld more and bigger ones. Others ask, 'Why are these people in jail?" He advocates that, before building more jails ("our public-housing program") we apply "basic systems analysis and 'thinking outside the cell' to 'crowded jails.'" Published by The Daily Iowan January 25, 2007; uploaded April 18, 2007.

"Community Problem Solving" Iowa Public Radio's program, The Exchange, hosted by Ben Kieffer, dealt with community planning and problem solving in the January 4, 2007 program. One of the guests was Tim Boyle, Executive Director of the Cedar Rapids Convention and Visitors Bureau. Nicholas Johnson, who has been maintaining a Web site regarding the proposed Iowa indoor rain forest, noted that the project has not raised a dime in ten years, and asked Tim Boyle what is the best way to deal with a community's "cheerleaders" -- those who seem prepared to become boosters for virtually any big "attraction" but are unwilling to focus on the "Business School 101" data regarding realistic projections of visitors and cash flow. Uploaded April 18, 2007.

"General Semantics, Terrorism and War" Nicholas Johnson provided the keynote address at a symposium in New York City on September 8, 2006, "The World in Quandaries: Coping with Controversial Communication in the Global Village -- Personal, Social, National, Cultural," jointly sponsored by Fordham University, the New York Society for General Semantics and the Media Ecology Association. (The "quandaries" is a reference to his father's book, Wendell Johnson, People in Quandaries (1946), the 60th anniversary of which was also being celebrated on this occasion.) A text drawn from that address has now been published in ETC: A Review of General Semantics, vol. 64, no. 1, pp. 45-64 (January 2007).  That text will be made available as a pdf link from here once it is available. Meanwhile, the text of the lecture is linked from the fourth entry below.

"Rethinking Higher Education" With higher college tuition crowding out many for whom the public universities were once created, Johnson reminds readers of the national economic benefits that came from free public education and the "GI Bill"  post-World War II. What used to be adequate as K-12 education now requires K-16, he asserts, and if the public and its elected representatives are unwilling to provide it he has an alternative. Recognize that the college education market is now a national, not a state, market. Establish a national fund, half provded by taxpayers, half by the college graduates. But key their payback to their economic benefit, as a proporton of their adjusted gross income. Published by the Iowa City Press-Citizen, November 13, 2006; uploaded April 18, 2007.

"Lets Not Gamble With Students' Lives"  This op ed is a response to a Press-Citizen article, "Students Find New Ways to Earn Cash" (linked from this text), that led, and concluded, with what Johnson took to be the paper's promotion of gambling as a way for students to put themselves through school (such as, that the featured student had found that gambling had "proven to be much more lucrative than any regular job"). Johnson questions whether the reporter or editor ever confirmed his brags before risking the harm from encouraging more student gambling, which Johnson quotes sources as indicating is expanding among the high school population as well and causing a variety of harm to students. Published by the Iowa City Press-Citizen, October 3, 2006, and listed here October 9, 2006.

"General Semantics, Terrorism and War" Nicholas Johnson was asked to keynote a conference in New York City September 8, 2006, occasioned by the 60th anniversary of the creation of the New York Society for General Semantics and the 60th anniversary of the publication of Wendell Johnson's basic general semantics book, People in Quandaries. (Nicholas Johnson is Wendell Johnson's son.) Other sponsors included the Media Ecology Association, the Institute of General Semantics, and Fordham University. This footnoted version of that speech text provides some basic explanation of "general semantics" (as well as demonstrating some of its techiques), describes its origins in concerns flowing out of World War II, and relates them to the language we still use in talking about (and engaging in) "war" and especially a "war on terrorism." He includes lessons he learned in Viet Nam and applies them to Iraq, a description of "the Powell doctrine," and some suggestions regarding "What We Can Do." Originally prepared September 8, 2006, subsequently revised and expanded with footnotes, and uploaded September 13, 2006.

"Earthpark Business Plan: A Review" After years of fruitlessly asking the rain forest promoters for one of the most basic documents of any new project seeking financing -- their "business plan" -- Nicholas Johnson had occasion to come upon, examine and write this review of a document and appendices so titled, dated March 2006. He points out that so long as the promoters have neither the money ($155-180 million), haven't raised a dime, and have no prospects for doing so in the immediate future, it doesn't really make a lot of difference what is in their "business plan." Nonetheless, he goes through it, complementing their consultant for the thorough check list of issues and considerations, while questioning many of the numbers that are provided, and noting the many blanks and omissions in a document not really focused on the only two remaining possible locations, Pella and Riverside. Written August 12, 2006, the review was uploaded here August 14.

"Caution: Rain Forest Ahead" As the Riverside, Iowa, City Council and the Washington County Riverboat Foundation confront the pros and cons of inviting the Iowa indoor rain forest ("Earthpark") to town, Nicholas Johnson offers them some words of caution. Whether $180 million or the reduced-size $155 million project, it still doesn't have the money and hasn't raised any in 10 years. The focus of what's going on inside is still not clear (e.g., teacher training, overnight camping, national research center, theater and entertainment, tourist attraction). The project's claims that "no city money" will be involved are demonstrably false. And when, as many suspect, the project is unable to sustain itself in a few years, the burdens on the City, financially and otherwise, will be substantial. This op ed column was published in the Iowa City Press-Citizen August 9, 2006, and uploaded here August 14.

"Internet Neutrality" The Iowa City, Iowa, public access organization (PATV of Iowa City) presents a weekly discussion program over the local cable system it calls "Live and Local," hosted by Adam Burke. The evening of June 26, 2006, Nicholas Johnson was a guest, along with Ben Anderson and Sam Garchik, on a program devoted to the then-current debate over legislation designed to protect "network neutrality." Johnson's remarks have been transcribed and are available here. Uploaded to this site July 31, 2006.

"Line Blurs Between Campaign Contributions, Bribes" In response to a Des Moines Register editorial argument that "Spending money to further political views is freedom of expression, pure and simple," Johnson replied in an op ed that it "states both too much and too little." He detailed the instances in which governmental "abridging the freedom of speech" is considered constitutional. While campaign cash is sometimes protected "speech," he says, "it's not always. Under slightly different circumstances, the same participants, exchanging the same money, are engaged in punishable 'bribery' not protected 'speech.'" Indeed, "In Washington's current 'culture of corruption' the gossamer line between 'campaign contributions' and 'bribery' is see-through thin. Special interests buy their legislation." He goes on to propose that Iowa adopt the kind of public financing of elections that seems to be so popular in states like Maine and Arizona. Published in the Des Moines Register, July 5, 2006, and uploaded July 10.

"Perspective on Military Murder and the Mission at Hand" In addressing the case of the eight U.S. troops charged with murdering an Iraqi, Johnson suggests that, while not justified, their actions need to be perceived and understood in terms of the perspective of the thousands of innocent civilians who are killed in war -- often deliberately (as in Dresden and Hiroshima during WWII). He also believes that "you can't play basketball on a football field," in other words, that there are some of the world's problems virtually inacapable of being resolved through war (indeed, in which war is counterproductive), and some sets of conditions under which no military force can accomplish the mission it has been handed. "Murder" is almost inevitable when the military is asked to conduct war in urban areas where the soldiers can't speak the native languge, there are no front lines, there are ethnic or religious divisions, and because they don't wear uniforms, members of the military's "enemy" are indistinguishable from innocent civilians. Published as an op ed column in the Iowa City Press-Citizen, July 2, 2006, and uploaded July 3.

"When Too Much is Not Enough" Responding to a Daily Iowan story quoting Iowa Regent President pro tem Teresa Wahlert as saying, "'You get what you pay for. You don't get an extremely qualified academic and entice him to stay' with a lower salary," Johnson writes, "You get what you pay for? Consumer Reports has spent 70 years disproving that canard. . . . Perhaps someone who could earn much more, but takes the job anyway (because of the challenge, opportunity for growth, sense of contribution, or affection for the institution), is the president who would be most likely to be 'enticed to stay.'" Published in The Daily Iowan June 30, 2006, and uploaded July 3.

"Taking One Step Beyond" Broadcasting & Cable, a leading broadcasting industry trade magazine, celebrated its 75th anniversary with a special edition. It included a section headlined, "Taking One Step Beyong: B & C Asks 14 Industry Veterans to Gaze Into the Crystal Ball." The 14 included, among others, Tom Brokaw, Ted Koppel, Newton Minow, Leslie Moonves, Brian Williams -- and Nicholas Johnson. The article used a Q & A format. Excerpts from examples: "B&C: What represents this business at its worst?" Nicholas Johnson: "The myopic focus on stock prices over programming." "B&C: How about at its best?" Nicholas Johnson: "'This business' is at its best when it realizes that it is ever so much more than 'just another business.'" "B&C: What makes you hopeful about the future of TV? Nicholas Johnson: "What makes you think I'm hopeful?" Published May 22, 2006, and uploaded here June 19, 2006.

"Voters Should Boycott Moneyed Candidates" Nicholas Johnson contends that the number one problem in American government and politics -- the extent to which law and policy is driven by campaign contributions rather than the public interest -- can only be addressed by citizens rising up and taking a pledge to simply refuse to vote for any candidate whose campaign is funded by large personal contributions, PAC and other special interest money. The comments were made during a call-in to the WOI-AM 640 "Talk of Iowa" program devoted to Representative Ed Fallon's campaign for governor, May 30, 2006. Uploaded here June 5, 2006, and expanded June 19, 2006.

"Standing With Ed Fallon" Nicholas Johnson was asked to introduce Representative Ed Fallon, candidate for governor of Iowa in a four-way primary race, June 6, 2006, at a gathering at The Mill, in Iowa City, May 2, 2006. Johnson quoted from the country song lyrics, "you've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything," and suggested that not only is it not worth losing one's soul in order to win elections, but that it hasn't proved a very effective way to win elections either. Uploaded May 8, 2006.

"First Amendment: Freedom For Religion"  During the April 13, 2006, tornado (see item immediately below), one of the grand, historic Iowa City, Iowa, buildings to suffer the most severe damage was St. Patrick's Catholic Church, a brick structure built in the late 19th Century. In an effort to help raise money for its rebuilding, a group of UI Hawkeye basketball players offered to play a game against coaches, under the sponsorship of the West High School Boosters' Club. A local member of the Freedom From Religion Foundation brought this to the attention of the organization's national headquarters, which promptly protested on grounds such a fund raising event would violate the constitutional separation of church and state. The local paper devoted a page to the Foundation's spokesperson, a represenative of the church, and Nicholas Johnson. Each of those pieces and more is available here. Johnson endeavors to summarize the applicable law, points out ways the project could have been undertaken legally, and reports his hope that "Iowa City might use this opportunity to organize a great ecumenical coming together. I visualized people of many faiths -- Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jew, Muslim and others -- working side by side, in the spirit of an Iowa 'barn raising,' building both a stronger sense of religious community and a great church. It may still happen." The piece was published in the Iowa City Press-Citizen on April 29, 2006.

"Tornado Damage, Iowa City, Iowa, April 13, 2006" Iowa City, Iowa, suffered sufficient tornado damage during the evening of April 13, 2006, that it became national news. This site contains Nicholas Johnson's commentary about his experience that evening in his neighborhood, along with links to pictures of tornado damage in his part of Iowa City that he photographed during a morning walk on April 14, "the morning after." This Web page also provides links to major collections of professional photographs of damage throughout other locations in Iowa City. Prepared and posted April 14, 2006, and revised April 15, 2006.

"Values Fund May Not Be So Valuable for Taxpayers" The so called "Iowa Values Fund," among other things, provides cash to businesses that can be bribed to come to the state, or that blackmail the state with a threat to leave without cash grants. Johnson finds the program inconsistent with his understanding of "free private enterprise," noting "if a business can't garner the support of sophisticated investors and loan officers, shouldn't we think twice before filling its tin cup with public money?" He argues that "The prestigious, independent Corporation for Enterprise Development concludes that 'most economists agree incentives are not good development policy' because they foster unfair competition, don't create net new jobs and divert attention from better strategies." The piece, as uploaded, comes with links to detailed footnotes and sources. Published in the Des Moines Register April 13, 2006, and uploaded as a "special" at that time.

"Pricey Presidents' Added Cost"  With the departure of the University of Iowa's President, David Skorton, the lead on the Des Moines Register's story was, "Money — lots of it — will play a key role in attracting and keeping the next University of Iowa president." Johnson responded in a Daily Iowan op ed column, March 7, with a quote from Skorton, “When the median family income in Iowa is around $45,000 and I make over $300,000, it’s hard to argue that is not a lot of money. It’s very generous.” He notes the disparity in compensation of CEOs and their workers, the likelihood those attracted by pay alone will stay no longer than their next better offer, and asks, "Is there no one of quality in America who would love to assume the challenges, opportunities and prestige of leading this great university for compensation President Skorton deems 'generous'?" Published March 7, 2006, and uploaded here March 13.

"Shooting Our Messengers"  Johnson County, Iowa, Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek testified before the Iowa Legislature regarding a range of options for fighting crime in more cost effective ways. One idea was to substitute citations and fines as punishment for possession of the very smallest amounts of marijuana. Republicans attacked him as "irresponsible" for his failure to "enforce the laws on the books." Johnson came to Pulkrabek's defense. He notes the costs of the U.S. continuing to be number one in the world for the number of persons in prison ("our nation's primary public housing program"), citing the much more radical proposals from Gary Johnson, the former Governor of New Mexico, a conservative Republican who thinks putting drug users in prison is "a waste of money." Johnson says public officials willing to take the political risks associated with offering solutions to problems need to be supported rather than attacked if we are going to have more like Pulkrabek. Published as an op ed column in the Iowa City Press-Citizen, March 3, 2006, and uploaded here March 6.

"Retroactive Ethical Judgments and Human Subjects Research: The 1939 Tudor Study in Context" has been published as Chapter 9 in Robert Goldfarb, editor, Ethics: A Case Study From Fluency (Oxford and San Diego: Plural Publishing, 2005). Nicholas Johnson's chapter is a rewrite and update of his paper presented at the "Symposium on Ethics and The Tudor Study: Implications for Research in Stuttering," organized by the Ph.D. Program in Speech and Hearing Sciences of the City University of New York and held at the CUNY Graduate Center, New York City, December 13, 2002. The chapter, as a pdf file, was uploaded to this Web site February 20, 2006.

"Technology's Role in Domestic Spying"  The Iowa ACLU's Ben Stone was the guest on WOI-AM 640's "Talk of Iowa" for a discussion of the constitutional law questions raised by President Bush's NSA spying on Americans program, and public opinion regarding the tactic as a means of fighting terrorism. Nicholas Johnson commented that it's very difficult to address the legal issues surrounding the propriety of "searches" without explaining the technological differences between putting alligator clips on an individual's telephone line, on the one hand and monitoring every phone simultaneously on the other. The former makes search warrants possible; getting 300 million search warrants to do the latter is another matter. The program was broadcast February 2, 2006; Nicholas Johnson's comments were transcribed and uploaded February 6, 2006.

"Can't See the Forest: Lessons from a $180 Million Terrarium"  Nicholas Johnson was invited to address rain forest issues for the Environmental Law Society of the University of Iowa College of Law on January 27, 2006. This links to the full text of those remarks in which he described, but disassociated himself from, the ridicule that has been heaped on the project, talked about his own experiences with and respect for nature, told the law students they would need to address "which side are you on?" with regard to their legal services for the polluters, asked, but did not resolve, the extent to which botanical gardens and aquariums actually increase public support for environmental law, noted the legal arguments regarding the "legal rights" of animals and even plants, and then expanded on the "lessons" described in his op ed of the week before (Nicholas Johnson, "Time to Learn from 'What Works,'" Iowa City Press-Citizen, January 20, 2006). Uploaded to this site January 30, 2006.

"Time to Learn from 'What Works'"  Johnson identifies a number of factors he says tend to be associated with attractions and other projects that work: focus, community based, logical location, up-front financing, business plans, control of cost overruns, realistic projection of revenue streams, and a realistic evaulation of these factors by public officials and mass media. He cites examples of such projects both in Iowa and around the country. He concludes, "Iowa needs bold vision. Naysaying doesn't help; but rational analysis does. And when 'the emperor has no clothes' we ignore the difference at our peril." The op ed column was published in the Iowa City Press-Citizen January 20, 2006, and uploaded to the Web site January 23.

"The Politics of Domestic Spying"  President George W. Bush apparently issued a secret order permitting the National Security Agency (NSA) to "spy on Americans." Johnson lists a sampling of the range of issues he says are "more deserving of books than a column," but then discusses the implications of the potential abuse of such technological capacity during political campaigns, given that it is operated by a secret agency with little oversight. He cites numerous examples of past abuses by government involving the NSA and other technologies, and asks "How would we even know if abuses occurred during our congressional and presidential elections?" This op ed column was published in the Daily Iowan January 19, 2006, and uploaded Janary 23.

"Rain Forest Lessons" After two years of rain forest promoters unsuccessful efforts to raise a dime from private donors the Des Moines Register editorialized, "Rain Forest Hinges on Donor Support; D.M. a Fine Site, But City Must Weigh Its Priorities," Des Moines Register, December 13, 2005. Johnson responded in this Des Moines Cityview op ed column of December 29. He argued that the project's "gate" required more hinges than donor support. He questioned why public officials and the media, from the project's birth, emphasized only "the 'Wow!' and the wonderful" while ignoring the lack of focus, business plans, realistic projections of visitors, and other of the "Management 101" considerations any venture capitalist or bank loan officer would have brought to bear. Uploaded January 1, 2006.

"Rainforest Project Requires Focus" With Dubuque emerging as one of the targets of the rain forest promoters' travelling sales pitch, Nicholas Johnson wrote the Dubuque Telegraph Herald's readers, "enthusiasts' 'wow!' is no substitute for realistic business plans, no justification for emphasizing benefits while ignoring costs and risks." He awards the project "Three 'F's' for focus, funding and feasibility," and notes that "Without focus, there can't be a business plan. Without a business plan, it's impossible to evaluate the feasibility of any project's projected revenue stream." He says, "Dubuque has done attractions right. . . . Most are solidly grounded in Dubuque's history and natural setting; realistic in scope and financing. Their synergy adds sparkle to this Iowa gem of a city." Published in the Telegraph Herald December 15, 2005, and uploaded here December 19.

"Thinking Outside the Cubicle: Business Skills in a Wider World" In response to the speaking invitation from the University of Iowa business fraternity, Alpha Kappa Psi, Nicholas Johnson explained that, although he had never managed a for-profit enterprise, he had used business skills throughout his life, from his first board membership as a high school student (the national YMCA board) through his current interest, as what Ralph Nader calls a "public citizen," in what he sees as the failure to use basic business practices with the proposed indoor rain forest in Coralville, Iowa. He urged the College of Business students to think equally broadly as they select not only occupations, but volunteer activities: business skills are needed in a far wider world than just the for-profit sector. Delivered November 9, 2005; linked from here November 10, 2005.

"Censorship from State to Self" This is the text of remarks delivered by Johnson as a panelist at a meeting in Vienna, Austria, of the Commission on Radio and Television Policy: Central, East and Southeast Europe, "Media Regulation, Censorship, and the Potential for Corruption: Practices Protecting or Controlling the Public, October 21, 2006. He discussed the pressures from the financial community on publicly-held corporations, advertisers' influence, journalists' self-censorship and other limitations, and stories "off the radar." He said, "It makes little difference who wears the boot that steps upon the hose of news and information; whether we call it 'censorship' or 'ediing;' whether it is done by government, global media conglomerates, or advertisers. Propaganda is propaganda; omission is omission; and the ignorance and misinformation that result are equally damaging regardless of who bears responsibility." Johnson cited the data on Americans' misperceptions about the 2003 Iraq War, and urged the group to think beyond "censorship" to the range of factors inhibiting citizens' access to the information and opinion necessary for their functioning in a popular democracy. Uploaded October 14, 2006; Delivered October 21, 2005; linked from here November 1, 2005.

"Fork in the Road and Alternative Futures" Nicholas Johnson was the opening panelist at the "Town Meeting on the Future of Media," sponsored by FreePress and attended by FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein and Commissioner Michael Copps assistant Jordan Goldstein. He spoke of the deterioration of FCC standards over the past 35 years, and the alternative future the agency might choose. The event, attended by approximately 500 persons, was held October 5, 2005. This advance text was posted to the Web October 11, 2005. An audio version of the evening is also available, and linked from this text.

"Why You Should Care Who Serves on the FCC"  Not withstanding the headline, this op ed column focuses on "why you should care who holds the license to your local TV station," and alerts readers to a somewhat unprecedented opportunity to meet with -- and testify before -- two FCC commissioners at a forum in Iowa City, Iowa, on October 5, 2005. The column touches on everything from the impact of televised violence to the quality of children's programs as reasons why TV's audience should "be there." Published in The Gazette, September 25, 2005, and posted to the Web site September 26.

"Your Second Priority" Johnson says that for 40 years he's been telling labor and other organizations, "Whatever is your first priority, your second priority has to be media reform." In these 2005 Labor Day remarks to the Iowa City Federation of Labor Labor Day Picnic he provides a number of illustrations of the hostility of America's corporate, mainstream media to a presentation of the concerns of labor, from the perspective of labor. He notes the October 5, 2005, Free Press-sponsored FCC Hearing in Iowa City and urges the audience's participation. Uploaded as a link from the "Nicholas Johnson and Media Reform" Web site September 6, 2005.

"Power Question is Simple One" Nicholas Johnson explains why "The public power questions are both more simple than first appear for the voters, and more complicated than first appear for the lawyers." This op ed column was published in the Iowa City Press-Citizen, and uploaded to this site, on August 29, 2005.

"The Significance of Iowa City's 'Public Power' Vote; Where Are the Relevant Statutory Provisions and What Do They Say?" Nicholas Johnson doesn't offer a "legal opinion" as such, but does try to work his way through the possibly relevant statutes and their apparent meaning in an effort he describes as an "intellectual exercise" in an effort to figure out what will be happening, legally, when the voters go to the polls on November 8, 2005. First written August 1, 2005, and linked from this site August 29, 2005.

"Is the FCC Wrong to Hire the Religious Right?" Nicholas Johnson was a guest on "The Mike Webb Show," KIRO-AM, Seattle, Washington, the evening of August 11, 2005. The primary subjects during Mike Webb's interview of Johnson were issues related to the FCC's recent hiring of Peggy Nance. A former board member of Concerned Women of America, Mediaweek described Nance as an "anti-pornography activist and former lobbyist for groups that push for Christian precepts in public policy." (The full article can be accessed from this link.) She was hired to work in the FCC's Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis. This transcript of Johnson's side of the interview was uploaded August 22, 2005.

"Perils of Public Payment for Private Projects" Four articles in the July 21 and 22 Des Moines Register prompted Nicholas Johnson to this comment and listing of seven categories of concerns raised when private land (eminent domain) or cash (taxes) is transferred from one individual or group to another private individual or business by the State for what's represented to be "public purposes." Written July 22, and uploaded July 27, 2005.

"The Trifecta of Local Development" Three major development projects, discussed in three Iowa City Press-Citizen stories on July 21, reminded Nicholas Johnson of Molly Ivins' description of some of her fellow citizens of Texas who believe that "more is better and too much is not enough." The projects included a $200 million proposal for a town of 1500, a $107 million project for a town under 1000 population, and yet another housing and industrial development for Iowa City-Coralville. Written July 21 and uploaded July 27, 2005.

"How to Violate Copyright Without Copying Anything" The Gazette editorialized regarding the Grokster case, "Stop Bumming Your Music" (July 1, 2005). It wrote "What Grokster is doing is wrong. And by extension, those illegally downloading copyrighted songs are wrong, too." In this Gazette op ed column Johnson responds, "The Gazette got it backward." The question, the central question in the case, is whether Grokster (which copied nothing; it simply made its software available) has violated the copyright laws "by extension" because those using its software were violating copyright. "The challenge," writes Johnson, "lies in striking the balance between encouraging technological and intellectual progress on the one hand, and preventing theft on the other." Published and uploaded July 10, 2005.

"KUD-Rain Forest 'Understanding' Retains, Creates Questions" On June 23, 2005, local papers reported that the negotiations between the rain forest project and KUD were underway. (See "Rain Forest Hires Rain Man; A Commentary on Rain Forest Project's Negotiation with KUD," below.) By July 7 they reported that a $5.5 million memorandum of understanding had been signed. Nicholas Johnson reviews the terms of the understanding, and notes that most-to-all of the previously unanswered questions regarding the project remain. KUD, well regarded as a contractor and project manager, is not primarily known for its fundraising abilities, and the project is still at least $90 million short. Written July 8, and posted to the rain forest Web site July 11, 2005.

"What Works: Colonial Williamsburg and Coralville's Rain Forest" Following a June 8 visit to the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation's facilities in Williamsburg, Virginia, and research on the Foundation's Web site, Nicholas Johnson presents his analysis of the features of this "attraction" that have made it so popular with visitors from around the world. The piece is, thus, comparable to the July 17, 2004, Des Moines Register op ed, "Coralville Project Can't Match Up to Omaha's Zoo," below, which analyzed the Henry Doorly Zoo from this perspective and then compared its qualities with those of the Coralville rain forest proposal. Based on his analysis Johnson concludes that the rain forest promoters' promises of attendance may be overly optimistic. Written June 29 and uploaded July 1, 2005.

"Public Finance and Public Broadcasting" Nicholas Johnson was the guest of host Gayane Torosyan on WSUI-AM, Iowa City, Talk of Iowa, June 22, 2005. This is a transcript of Part 2 of 2 from that guest appearance. The subject was the public financing of public broadcasting, the $100 million cuts being discussed in the House of Representatives at that time, the early origins of public broadcasting, and the original intention to keep it's programming free of political pressure from the White House and Congress, and its funding free of the pressure of commercial underwriting. Part 1, below, used the proposed Coralville rain forest as a case study. Recorded June 22, transcribed and uploaded June 27, 2005.

"Rain Forest Hires Rain Man; A Commentary on Rain Forest Project's Negotiation with KUD" The Gazette and the Iowa City Press-Citizen reported on June 23 that the rain forest project was negotiating with John Best of KUD to take over consulting responsibilities for fund raising, design and construction of the project. The Iowa Pork Forest blog site responded. This commentary is Nicholas Johnson's response, with the provision of links to the articles, blog site, and the consulting firms' Web sites. Posted June 24, 2005.

"Public Finance and the Coralville Rain Forest" Nicholas Johnson was the guest of host Gayane Torosyan on WSUI-AM, Iowa City, Talk of Iowa, June 22, 2005. This is a transcript of Part 1 of 2 from that guest appearance. The subject was the process and propriety of public financing of for-profit and non-profit projects. Part 1 used the proposed Coralville rain forest as a case study. (Part 2 dealt with the public funding of public broadcasting.) Recorded June 22, transcribed June 23, and uploaded June 24, 2005.

"Senators Refuse Condemnation of Lynching" Following the U.S. Senate vote on S.Res. 39, apologizing for the Senate's failure over the years to condemn lynching, contributors to The Carpetbagger Report: Reality-Based Commentary, Analysis, and Tirades on Politics in America discussed which senators did, and did not, co-sponsor the resolution. Johnson researched official sources and reported the results: about half of the 87 who co-sponsored the resolution did so in February, when it was first offered, and another half in June, just before the vote; 8 co-sponsored it after the voice vote; 13 never co-sponsored it. Written and submitted to The Carpetbagger Report on June 19, 2005, uploaded to this site June 24, 2005.

"Unfocused and Unfunded, Rain Forest Inspires Mostly Questions,"  The Des Moines Register editorialized in support of the Coralville rain forest on April 25, 2005: "Fund the Unexpected, the Iowa Rain Forest" (linked from Nicholas Johnson's Coralville rain forest Web site). "Unfocused and Unfunded" is Johnson's letter to the editor responding to that editorial. The Register editorialized the project is "not as crazy-sounding as it once was." Johnson's response points out that one full year after the Register's earlier editorial endorsement the project still has no name, not one dime more funding, no focus, specific plans, budgets, nor realistic projections of ongoing operating funds. Published, and uploaded to the Web site, June 5, 2005.

"Media Responsibility and the Iowa License Renewals" Nicholas Johnson was the guest on the Iowa-statewide "Talk of Iowa" radio program May 31, 2005. The host was Gayane Torosyan. The program is carried on WSUI-AM, Iowa City, and WOI-AM, Ames. The program was truncated from its usual 60 minutes to 20 because of President George W. Bush's news conference. This "Talk of Iowa" program is scheduled to be continued May 22. Meanwhile, during the available 20 minutes the topic discussed was the St. Louis Media Reform Conference (May 12-15), the Iowa TV station license renewals due at the FCC in late 2005, and the recent formation of Iowans for Better Local TV, which Johnson described as one of hundreds of local groups springing up across the country. Audio posted May 31, 2005, transcript posted June 2, 2005.

"Broadcasting and It's Regulation: 1895-1970" Nicholas Johnson participated in "The FCC Past and Present" panel at the National Conference on Media Reform, St. Louis, May 14, 2005, along with former FCC Commissioner Gloria Tristani (now with the United Church of Christ, Office of Communication) and sitting Commissioners Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein. Johnson's extemporaneous remarks, arguing that officials in the 1920s were more aware of the risks of media power than officials today, are available in this transcript. An audio recording of the entire panel is available at http://www.freepress.net/conference/=sessions (scroll down to "Saturday May 14 9:00 A.M"). Posted to the Web May 28, 2005.

"The Register's Rain Forest Endorsement: A Summary Response" The Des Moines Register once again editorialized in support of the rain forest on April 25, 2005, saying the project is now "not as crazy-sounding as it once was." With links to, and quotes from its current and past editorials, Johnson questions that conclusion, listing the categories of questions that have yet to be addressed, let alone answered, if the rain forest promoters' dreams are to be transformed into fiscally-responsible detailed plans. Written and posted April 26, 2005.

"What's New? Evaluating Iowa Child's $20 Million Application" and "The Rain Forest Education Plan" Has the Coralville Rain Forest project's application for $20 million from the Community Attractions and Tourism fund, or its newly proposed "Education Plan" helped resolve any of the long-pending questions and concerns about this project? Johnson thinks not, and explains in these two "blogs" written, and posted, the days of the announcements: April 20 and 21, 2005.

"Time to Build or Get Off the Lot" A Coralville Rain Forest local advisory council member, Sandra Hudson, wrote a column in the local paper revealing that it was a "misconception" to think of the project as a tourist attraction insofar as "the primary intent is scientific research and education." This column is Nicholas Johnson's response. He notes that there has been no shortage of promoters' dreams over the nine years of the project's evolution (including dreams of a scientific research center). The problems have involved tethering those dreams to reality. There is still a $90 million shortfall in funding this $180 million project, the name keeps changing, there is no focus on a single dream, the promoters resist transparency regarding specific plans, programs, and budgets. Johnson concludes, "Now why don't they pick just one [of those conflicting dreams], share with use their detailed budgets, construction and program plans -- and 'show us the money.'" Published in the Iowa City Press-Citizen, and posted here, April 11, 2005.

"Politicians Lie" The Iowa Legislature gave some consideration to a law prohibiting a politician from lying about his or her opponents. Steve Nicoles of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, station KCRG-TV9, interviewed Nicholas Johson about the bill and used a couple of lines from that interview in brief news story broadcast on various newscasts March 10 and 11, 2005. (Johnson noted that "political speech" lies at the core of what the Supreme Court protects under the First Amendmetn.) This transcript of the story was posted here March 28, 2005.

"Why Iowa Needs to Raise Its Cigarette Tax" Nicholas Johnson identifies four issues involved in reducing the disease and medical costs associated with cigarette smoking: alternatives for tobacco farmers, seriously addicted adults, secondhand smoke effects, and concludes that the most cost-effective approach is to concentrate on reducing the numbers of young, new, "replacement smokers" -- which can be done most effectively by raising the price of cigarettes. "And that's why Iowa needs to increase its cigarette tax." Published as a letter to the editor in The Gazette, March 11, 2005, and uploaded March 14, 2005.

"The Responsibilities of Philosopher Kings" Nicholas Johnson was invited to address the 2005 Drake Law Review Banquet in Des Moines, Iowa. This is the advance text of his remarks on that occasion. He spoke of the threats to our concept of democracy under the "rule of law," including the threats to judges here and abroad, and the responsibility of law school graduates to defend our system, and provide public policy leadership, not unlike what Plato advocated some 2500 years ago in the Republic as the role of his propsed "philosopher kings." The address was presented March 11, 2005, and uploaded here March 14, 2005.

"Indecency in Broadcasting" The subject for the WSUI-AM910 segment of "Talk of Iowa" on March 9, 2005, was indecency in broadcasting and the Congressional and FCC response. This is a transcript of the exchanges between Nicholas Johnson, host Gayane Torosyan and Guest Lyombe S. Eko during the program. Uploaded to the Web March 14, 2005.

"Hypocrisy and Indecency in Broadcasting" Nicholas Johnson was a guest on "The Mike Webb Show," KIRO-AM, Seattle, Washington, the evening of March 1, 2005. The primary subject during Mike Webb's interview of Johnson was the current emphasis on regulation of indecency in broadcasting. This transcript of Johnson's side of the interview was uploaded March 14, 2005.

"'No Child' Leaves Kids Behind" This op ed takes the position that while there may be faults with the administration of the No Child Left Behind Act, its underlying purpose -- to help all children learn and narrow the academic gap between the under- and over-privileged -- both remains valid and requires some system of measurement and comparison of results. Those who merely bash No Child Left Behind without offering better ways to achieve its goals raise serious questions about the genuineness of their commitment to all K-12 students. The column was published in the Iowa City Press-Citizen and uploaded here March 8, 2005.

"Is Ward Churchill a Conservative?" University of Colorado tenured professor Ward Churchill, in making the point that the U.S. policy and diplomatic/military/economic program of violence, death and exploitation abroad is likely to provide a backlash in the form of terrorist attacks on the United States, included in his rhetoric a reference to the occupants of the Twin Towers on 9/11 as "little Eichmanns." The outburst of outrage that expression occasioned included everything from calls for his firing to death threats. Meanwhile, credentialed conservatives were making the same points in a different language. Johnson poses a little quiz for Churchill's critics to see if they can identify which statements came from whom, and concludes with concern over a public willingness to "shoot the messenger" not so much for what he says but for the way he says it. Published in the University of Iowa's Daily Iowan, and posted here, February 28, 2005.

"10 Questions With Nicholas Johnson" Bill and Fred Jacobs, of Jacobs Media, have an interview feature they call "10 Questions With . . .." For the feature on February 21, 2005, they selected Nicholas Johnson as the interviewee. A number of the questions addressed aspects of the then-current FCC's focus on "indecency" in programming, and others on the FCC's relationship to the audience in general and advocates' production of massive e-mail and other campaigns in particular. Posted to this site February 26, 2005.

"Open Minds About Open Meetings" This op ed column draws from the Drake Law Review article, listed four items below, "Open Meetings and Closed Minds: Another Road to the Mountaintop." Iowa law requires that multi-headed agencies (such as commissions, a city council or school board) deliberate and make decisions in "open meetings" (that is, meetings which the public and media have the right to attend). The law says its purpose is to ensure "that the basis and rationale of governmental decisions . . . are easily accessible to the people." There is, however, no requirement that the agency reveal that "basis and rationale," and it often fails to emerge from open discussions. Johnson argues agencies should have, as an option, the alternative given to courts: closed deliberations followed by reasoned, written opinions -- as well as the freedom to engage in closed, creative brainstorming sessions when there is no proposed decision on the table. Published in the Des Moines Register, and uploaded here February 18, 2005.

"Rain Forest Dreams and Deficits" This op ed column is Nicholas Johnson's response to an earlier editorial in the [Eastern Iowa] Gazette, "Reversing Iowa Stagnation," December 23, 2004. The Gazette had editorialized that "we like the risk and potential reward of The Environmental Project" (the indoor $180 million rain forest project proposed for Coralville, Iowa). Johnson asks, "How can you know?" you like or don't like the "risk and potential reward" of a project that, nine years into the effort, is (a) $90 million short of its $180 million goal and has raised nothing over the past 10 months, (b) still hasn't settled on a name, let alone a clear focus (from among possible missions as varied as corporate demonstration projects, amusement attraction, serious scientific research center, and teacher training facility), and (c) either doesn't yet have, or has but stonewalls about the revelation of, detailed plans and budgets for the construction and operation of whatever the promoters eventually settle on wanting to do? Published in the Gazette as "Bold Thinking Requires Focus to Match Potential," January 9, 2005, and uploaded here January 10.

"Principles of Red Lion on the Endangered List" The Prometheus case, reviewing FCC ownership standards, gives broadcasters the opportunity to challenge the Red Lion case in the Supreme Court (the case upholding the Fairness Doctrine, subsequently repealed by the FCC). Broadcasters argue there is no longer a "scarcity" of frequencies to justify FCC regulation of conentration. Johnson disagrees, drawing on both the historical origins of government regulation and the purposes of the First Amendment. Published in the December 20, 2004, issue of Television Week and uploaded to this Web site December 25.

"Can [Animal Rights] Research Conflict be Resolved?" A University of Iowa animal research lab was trashed in November 2004 by what was believed to be members of a group called the Animal Liberation Front. The predominent response from administrators and researchers alike was to condemn the "terrorism" and call for greater security. Johnson writes that one of the very purposes of the First Amendment is the substitution of informed dialogue for violence, and proposes the animal researchers at least consider the strategy of more open transparency. He suggests they post to the Internet the full details of each animal experiment along with their explanations of why the experiment involves substantial potential human benefit, absolutely requires the use of animals in the research, and utilizes the absolute mininum number of animals necessary, and causes them the minimum possible pain and other harm. Published as an op ed column in the Iowa City Press-Citizen, and posted here, December 23, 2004.

"Open Meetings and Closed Minds: Another Road to the Mountaintop" In this Drake Law Review article Nicholas Johnson asserts that Iowa's current open meetings law is both over-inclusive and under-inclusive, and self-defeating of its ostensible purpose ("that the basis and rationale of governmental decisions . . . are easily accessible to the people"). There is no assurance that requiring that all "deliberations" of multi-headed agencies be held in public will reveal the "basis and rationale" of their decisions. There is, however, a high probability that it will seriously interfere with creative brainstorming and thorough exploration of the issues underlying those decisions. If reasoned opinions from an otherwise secretive decision making process of the Supreme Court of the United States are thought adequate, he asks, why are they not a perfectly acceptable option for a small town school board in Iowa? The article appears in 53 Drake L. Rev. 11 (2004) (volume 53, number 1, distributed in mid-December 2004). It was posted here December 20, 2004.

"Media Concentration: An Historical Perspective" FCC Commissioners Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein have "gone public" in both senses over their concern about the current FCC rush to media consolidation: they have expressed their views in dissenting opinions, and they have gone to the public to seek input from the public regarding the impact that FCC-encouraged concentration of media control has had on the public. They have done this in a series of public "Forums" around the country. They invited Nicholas Johnson to speak at one of their Forums, this one in St. Paul, Minnesota. This link goes to his prepared remarks on that occasion, presented December 9 and posted here December 20, 2004.

"Nicholas Johnson and Media Reform" In anticipation of the FCC Forum (see immediately above), a new Web site was created that provides links to at least a small sampling of Nicholas Johnson's past and current articles and speeches regarding media issues generally. This link goes directly; there is also a "Media Reform" link to it from near the top of the "Main Page" (reached by clicking on "Enter Here" from the opening site, www.nicholasjohnson.org). Posted here December 7, 2004.

"Media's Role in Citizen Activism" Barbara Ehrenreich, lecturer and widely published author, most notably in this connection of Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America (Metropolitan Books, 2001), delivered a campus-wide lecture at the University of Iowa on November 15, 2004. She discussed, among other things, citizen activism generally. Following her lecture there was a question and answer exchange with members of the audience. What is linked here is her exchange with Nicholas Johnson. The event was held November 15; the exchange was posted here December 20, 2004.

"Dear Vice President Agnew" Although this 1970 New York Times article is, in 2004, scarcely a "recent publication," it has recently been uncovered, scanned and uploaded to the Web both because of its historical interest and its current relevance. President Nixon's Vice President, Spiro Agnew was occasionally used by the Nixon Administration to attack its "liberal" enemies. When things weren't going all that well for the Administration in late 1970, Agnew launched an attack on the "drug culture" represented in rock music lyrics. Then-FCC Commissioner Nicholas Johnson took on the Vice President, pointing out that (a) many of the lyrics could only, fairly, be characterized as anti-drug, (b) the Administration was reluctant to do anything about the "drug pushers" of alcohol, nicotine, and the nation's pill cuture (who happened to be major campaign contributors), (c) nor was it seemingly willing to tackle many of the conditions that, in Johnson's view, were giving rise to the demand for drugs. Published by the New York Times, October 11, 1970, it was uploaded to this site 34 years later, on November 11, 2004.

"Election As a Civics Class" Many schools provide for anonymous student evaluations of professors. So how do we "students" (citizens) evaluate our "professors" (candidates) following this semester-long civics class (presidential campaign)? Nicholas Johnson thinks they skipped too many chapters in the text book: citizen empowerment, campaign contributors' abuses, the role of third parties, impending economic disaster, and the reluctance of candidates to disclose their positions on the issues when asked. It was published as an op ed in the Des Moines Register, and posted here, November 6, 2004.

"Democrats' Recovery Begins by Looking in the Mirror" This is Nicholas Johnson's early "morning after the night before" reaction to the Democrats' handling of the November 2, 2004, presidential election. Johnson believes the party has lost its way, without a vision, ideology, program or even political strategy. He expresses the hope that, without Nader to scapegoat, the party's leadership "will, at long last, take a look in the mirror, finally devise our own 30-year strategy [as the Republicans did], and begin the long, hard walk down the dusty road to recovery." It was published as an op ed column in the [Eastern Iowa] Gazette, and was posted here, November 4, 2004.

"Selected Writing About Nicholas Johnson" This new Web site was uploaded October 26, 2004, as a beginning list of articles and other writing by others about Nicholas Johnson -- primarily regarding his role as an FCC commissioner (1966-1973). As originally created it contains links to the full text of many of the publications, more of which will be added as they are uncovered.

"Sinclair’s Political Advocacy and the Public Interest" Text based upon Don Shelby's interview of Nicholas Johnson regarding the then-current controversy surrounding the Sinclair stations' proposed broadcast of what was essentially a propaganda attack on Democratic presidential candidate, Senator John Kerry, close to the time of the November 2, 2004, election. The interview was aired on "The Don Shelby Show," WCCO-AM 830, Minneapolis, October 12, 2004, and uploaded here October 19, 2004.

"Birthday Greetings to Z102.9" Nicholas Johnson's October 7, 2004, on-air exchange with KZIA-FM's Scott Schulte on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Eliot Keller and Rob Norton's license being granted by Johnson's former Federal Communications Commission. Posted October 17, 2004.

"Teleprompters and Media Ethics" Nicholas Johnson asks if it's possible General John Abizaid's interview on Tim Russert's September 26, 2004, "Meet the Press" could possibly have involved the prior availability of the questions to the General, and his use of a teleprompter for reading the answers. Posted to the Tung Yin Blog September 27, and to this Web site October 17, 2004.

"Can't See the Forest Or the Trees" This op ed column, drawn from "Boosterism and the Fog of Rain Forests," below, was published in the (Eastern Iowa) Corridor Business Journal, October 4, 2004, issue and uploaded to this site October 5, 2004.

"Boosterism and the Fog of Rain Forests" The Iowa City Sunrise Optimist Club asked Nicholas Johnson to update the members as to his perspective on the proposed indoor rain forest in Coralville, Iowa. Characterizing himself as "neither booster nor basher" Johnson described some of the still unresolved issues, the $90 million shortfall on this $180 million project, and with reference to "benefit-cost" and "risk assessment" analysis addressed the uncertainty the project will produce the necessary operating revenue over the long haul, and the options confronting the local community if it does not. This advance text was made available October 3, 2004; the talk was presented October 5.

"'The Corporation' and the Search for Agreement" The Mark Achbar, Jennifer Abbott and Joel Bakan film, "The Corporation," presents a fairly thorough and powerful array of corporate abuses. As such, it stimulates a "piling on" by those pre-disposed to lay many of society's problems on corporations -- as it equally stimulates those who teach or study business to take positions that are either dismissive or defensive. Having seen the film twice, and attended a discussion of it at the University of Iowa College of Business, Nicholas Johnson prepared these comments in response to the positions advocated by both the antagonists and defenders of corporations. Posted here October 1, 2004.

"Media as Politics: What's a Voter to Do?" Advance text of Nicholas Johnson's convocation lecture at Earlham College. Johnson contends that "those who own the country" (John Jay's phrase) continue to hold the view that they should run it, and are aided in doing so by a mass media that is successful in "manufacturing consent" (Noam Chomsky's phrase). He offers suggestions by way of attemtps to answer "what's a voter to do?" involving both media reform and political reforms. This lengthy text (much of which was not actually delivered) is complete with dozens of links to Internet sources. The lecture was delivered September 15, 2004, and the text posted here September 17.

"Media Talk." Transcript of Nicholas Johnson's comments during hour-long interview on Dave Berkman's Wisconsin Public Radio network program, "Media Talk," July 9, 2004. The exchange ranged over a number of subjects including the "public interest" standard and responsibility of broadcasters, the consequences of the growing concentration of media power in fewer and fewer hands, especially when coupled with the Supreme Court's view that with the mass media owner's freedom to speak goes his or her First Amendment right to exclude all others, and the current FCC and Congressional emphasis on indecency in broadcasting. Transcribed and posted August 1, 2004.

"Coralville Project Can't Match Up to Omaha's Zoo" Nicholas Johnson's Des Moines Register op ed column of July 17, 2004, itemizes the differences between the secrets of the financial success of Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo (which includes a rain forest) and the boosters' claims for the as yet unbuilt, and only half-funded, Coralville Rain Forest scheduled for "ceremonial" ground breaking in the fall of 2004. As the Register excerpted from the column, "'Vision' is the easy part. The challenge is in balancing the books." Posted here July 17, 2004.

"Progress or Dystopia for Community Media?" Nicholas Johnson, who as FCC Commissioner played a major role in the creation of community cable access channels, addresses the accomplishments and challenges confronting the community media movement, including its version of Pogo's observation that, "We have found the enemy and he is us." Published in the Spring 2004 issue of Community Media Review, received July 15, 2004, and uploaded here July 17, 2004.

"Nicholas Johnson's Major Magazine Articles." This Web site contains links to the full text (mostly in pdf format) of many of the articles written by Nicholas Johnson and published in major magazines, the bulk of which were published during his FCC tenure (1966-1973). Uploaded July 14, 2004.

"Law Review and Law-Related Articles." Formerly only available as bibliographic entries, there is now a Web site with links to the full text of the 33 law review and law-related articles written by Nicholas Johnson from 1956 to the present. Completed and uploaded June 29, 2004.

"FCC Debate Masks Issues." In this Iowa City Press-Citizen Sunday feature, "Q & A," former FCC Commissioner Nicholas Johnson responds to Jeff Charis-Carlson's questions about the role of the FCC in particular and the recent crackdown on "obscenity" in particular, with some alternative theories as to what's really going on here. Published June 27, 2004, and posted here July 1, 2004.

"Wendell Johnson Audio Lectures and Other Audio Material." Wendell Johnson's University of Iowa general semantics lectures from the fall semesters of 1962 and 1963 have been copied from 40-year-old reel-to-reel audio tapes into digital format and are now available from a streaming server along with other, related, audio material of interest. Completed and uploaded June 25, 2004.

"Looking for Insights on Blogs." Nicholas Johnson discusses the role of "blogs" in the online world of public policy commentary, with an example from a blogger's insight about public finance. Privately financed ventures, whether by shareholders or bankers, require rigorous review of business plans. Publicly financed projects, such as the Coralville Rain Forest, not only have no institution to provide rigorous review, they often don't even have detailed business plans. Johnson notes that while public officials have received contributions from the forest's backers, none have given contributions to the project. He quotes the proposal of blogger "Tusk & Talon" that public officials be given a financial stake in public spending by awarding them a personal contribution of a percentage of all wasteful spending they succeed in curtailing. "Of course Iowans need 'vision.' But is this one 20/20? There's no one to tell us." Published in the Iowa City Press-Citizen, and posted here, June 3, 2004.

"What's Kerry Thinking?" Nicholas Johnson attempts some verbal reverse engineering in trying to figure out what political campaign strategy would have brought Kerry to the kind of campaign he is running and positions he is taking. Posted here May 15, 2004.

"Labels and the Law." This excerpt from Kirk Johnson, "Kobe Bryant Enters Plea of Not Guilty," New York Times, May 12, 2004, quotes Johnson addressing the legal and general semantics significance of the use of the word "victim" to designate the woman involved in a case of alleged rape when the defendant's defense is that the sex occurred but was consensual -- a controversy that was very real in the Kobe Bryant trial. Posted May 15, 2004.

"Lessons from Abu Ghraib." Nicholas Johnson finds additional lessons in the pictures from Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison. Why did administrators finally react to the pictures when they had ignored for months the "much worse" written reports from the International Red Cross and others? (1) Johnson suggests is it not uncommon for administrators of a variety of large institutions to be more concerned about public relations than the substantive problems of which they are (or ought to be) aware -- and which they are being paid handsomely to resolve. (2) That being the case, it is even more essential that our mass media courageously perform their constitutional "checking value" role, and that censorship -- whether external or self-censorship -- be seen for the literally un-American act it is. Published in the University of Iowa's Daily Iowan, and posted here, May 11, 2004.

"The Neutrino Explanation of the Ploggly Hypothesis." During the WSUI-AM910 program "Talk of Iowa," Nicholas Johnson, guest physics professor Dr. Mary Hall Reno, and host Dennis Reese, exchange views regarding the scientific method: the ploggly theory of pencil shavings and the neutrino theory of energy and matter. Broadcast May 4 and posted here May 7, 2004.

"Getting Businesses to Do More." Nicholas Johnson offers some new ways to think about the socially positive contributions of business people, from "doing well by doing good," to using for-profits to accomplish non-profits' missions, to innovative ways to give more than money and tiime (such as advertising that informs the public while promoting the business, or volunteer time that makes full use of the business person's talents), as well as things that consumers can do to affect the business climate. Published as an op ed column in the Iowa City Press-Citizen, and posted here, May 4, 2004.

"The University of Iowa and the Historic Melrose Neighborhood." As the University of Iowa grows and builds it acquires increasing quantities of land -- often destroying historic Iowa City neighborhoods in the process. One such neighborhood is the Melrose Neighborhood, bounded by Melrose Avenue to the north, the original Rock Island Railroad tracks to the south, and Riverside Drive to the east. Nicholas Johnson has created this new Web site as a place from which to link photos, maps and other information about one of the first areas to be settled west of the Iowa River and the home of many persons affiliated with the University. First created April 30, 2004.

"Will Rain Forest be a Boon or Boondoggle?" Nicholas Johnson's Des Moines Register op ed column of April 29, 2004, summarizes the range of as yet unidentified or unaddressed issues still surrounding the "Iowa Environmental/Education Project" with only a few months remaining before ground breaking in the fall of 2004. He concludes, "To make this project successful, borrowing from the country song, 'We've got a long way to go and a short time to get there.' We might make it still. But until the promoters are willing to provide the media and public with a roadmap, destination, credit card and gas gauge, our odds aren't very good." Posted here April 29, 2004.

"The Coralville Rain Forest: A Brief Overview of Remaining Issues" On April 7, 2004, Citizens Against Government Waste gave Senator Charles Grassley their "Soak the Taxpayers Award" for the $50 million rain forest gift from federal taxpayers and designated the project "the poster child of pork." Much national publicity followed. Believing the focus on such ridicule diverts everyone's attention from a whole host of categories of very serious questions about a project scheduled to begin construction in six months, Nicholas Johnson drew up this annotated list. It is supported by references to statements of promoters and others from Iowa City Press-Citizen stories since 2000. Posted here April 9, 2004 (and subsequently revised).

"The Elephant in the Rain Forest." Following a March 22, 2004, open public forum sponsored by the Iowa City Press-Citizen, at which 11 spokespersons for what is now called the Iowa Environmental/Education Project praised its virtues, Nicholas Johnson believes there are still "many other categories of questions crying out for answers." Among those categories, "the elephant in the living room" -- or, in this case, the rain forest -- is the challenge of coming up with an additional $90 million in up-front capital before the scheduled groundbreaking in the fall of 2004. Published in the Press-Citizen as an op ed column, and posted here, March 25, 2004.

"Rain Forest Issues and Concerns." Putting some brief thoughts and questions together prior to attending a March 22, 2004, open public forum sponsored by the Iowa City Press-Citizen, at which the promoters of the Iowa Environmental/Education Project (formerly "Iowa Child") were scheduled to present its details, this is what Nicholas Johnson came up with for himself. Written March 22, 2004, and posted here March 24, 2004.

"Programming Indecency and the FCC." This transcript of an interview of Nicholas Johnson on KPBS-FM, San Diego, conducted by Tom Fudge, covers a wide range of subjects, but begins with, and emphasizes, the then-current focus on "indecency" in broadcasting from Congress and the FCC. This attention was widely believed to have been motivated by the public comment following a Janet Jackson routine during the Superbowl halftime entertainment. The program aired March 10, 2004; the transcript was uploaded to this site March 21, 2004.

"What Are Nader's Options?"  Nicholas Johnson asks UI Professor Peverill Squire, if you don't want Ralph Nader to run for president as an independent, what alternative strategy can you offer him for doing something about the big money contributions that eat at our democracy like a cancer? I suspect Nader would welcome any workable alternatives. A "Talk of Iowa" transcript from the February 23, 2004, program on WSUI, posted here March 5, 2004.

"Public Investment, Private Profit: A Decision Tree." Between the economic activity that is clearly private sector, and that which is traditionally governmental, are an increasing array of combinations of the two. Nicholas Johnson does not argue that overlap should never be permitted. But he does offer a draft "decision tree" as a way of working one's way through the analysis of when the intertwining of public resources and private profit is appropriate and when it should be prohibited -- or at least heavily conditioned. Originally written as an e-mail February 26, 2004, it has been modified and uploaded here May 1, 2004.

"Rain Forest Questions Remain." "Is the 'Iowa Child' rain forest financially viable? Asking the question isn't 'opposition.' It's common sense." Nicholas Johnson points out that Coralville, Iowa, isn't the "destination" that Washington or San Francisco are. Where will the visitors, especially repeat visitors, come from? Comparable "attractions" all across America "open on fleecy clouds of confidence only to fall into seas of red ink." Why will this one be different? The public's paying for the construction, and may have to pick up the pieces when it fails. It deserves answers to these questions. Published in the Iowa City Press-Citizen as an op ed column, and posted here, February 16, 2004.

"Superbowls and Less Than Super Leadership."  WCCO-AM's Don Shelby interviews Nicholas Johnson regarding the FCC then and now, with focus on the Superbowl half-time entertainment in general and the Janet Jackson routine in particular, journalism and other programming quality, the consequences of conglomerate corporate ownership, and other matters. Recorded February 11 and posted here March 2, 2004.

"Jackson Reaction Seems Odd." Nicholas Johnson is interviewed by the Iowa City Press-Citizen's "Sunday Q&A" reporter about Janet Jackson's Super Bowl performance and the FCC's reaction. Johnson suggests the FCC might better begin by investigating the sexual offensiveness of commercials. Published, and posted here, February 8, 2004.

"Why Do Networks Send TV Programs to Iowa Before the East Coast?" Nicholas Johnson answers a caller's question regarding why Iowans are sent their network television programming one hour "earlier" than viewers on the east coast. The exchange occurred during the lighthearted "Our Big Brain" edition of "Talk of Iowa," WSUI-AM, February 5, 2004, and was posted here February 6.

"Is Kerry 'Bush Lite'?" Nicholas Johnson asks WOI-AM's Dr. Politics on "Talk of Iowa" whether there's a risk to the Democrats nominating a candidate to oppose Bush's war, Patriot Act, No Child Left Behind, and lobbyist support who, as senator, voted for the war, Patriot Act, No Child Left Behind, and has received more lobbyist money than any other senator. The program aired February 3, 2004; the transcript was posted February 4.

"Iowa Child: Question About Questions." Nicholas Johnson asks the Iowa Child chief administrator, David Oman, why it is so difficult for the public to get answers to basic questions about the financial viability and other aspects of the Iowa Child project. This is a transcript of the exchange on WSUI-AM's "Talk of Iowa," January 26, 2004, posted here February 4, 2004.

"Iowa Caucus Evaluation." Following the Iowa caucuses, January 19, 2004, Nicholas Johnson explains the process and analyzes Dennis Kucinich's results in a comment entered in the Kucinich4President Yahoo! Group discussion. Posted here January 20.

"Kucinich Compassionate, Courageous, Electable." "If everyone who resonates to Dennis Kucinich would vote for him he’d not only be electable, he’d be elected." He, alone among the Democratic candidates is willing to stand up to the military-industrial complex, the insurance and pharmaceutical companies, because "He knows we can neither win elections nor survive as a species by capitulation to corporations or by confrontation with the world." Given how poorly the other candidates do in polls pitting them, one at a time, against President Bush, and given Daniel Brown's analysis of the numbers, "Kucinich is not just the wisest choice, he may be Democrats’ only choice." Published in the Iowa City Press-Citizen, and posted here, January 14, 2004.

"Comment on Kurt Nimmo's 'Ashcroft Goes After the Left." Having lived through the years of Hitler, Senator McCarthy and COINTELPRO, Johnson quotes the famous lines from Martin Niemoller, and urges readers to object to this Administration's policies. Posted January 4, 2004.

"Can Howard Dean Win?" The Des Moines Register's David Yepsen, and WSUI-AM's host Al Kern, respond to Nicholas Johnson's "Talk of Iowa" questions for Yepsen regarding Howard Dean. Why are progressives supporting a candidate with such conservative credentials, and does Yepsen think Dean can he beat President Bush? The show aired December 23, 2003.

"The Electability Myth." Half the Democrats can't name a presidential candidate. Popularity among Democratic primary voters doesn't equal ability to beat President Bush. In fact, polls indicate that none can as of December 2003. Moreover, there's no meaningful difference between the percentage of the voters favoring one Democrat over another. It's nearly a year until the election; not even a primary vote has yet been cast; voters' preferences can change over night. Put it all together and it makes it a little silly to pick a presidential challenger to Bush on the basis of "electability." Democrats would do better to focus on program if they really want to win back the disaffected -- and Dennis Kucinich's program may be the best to do it. The Daily Iowan, December 18, 2003.

"TV's Presidential Horse Race: Homer to Gazette, Gomer to Television." Nicholas Johnson congratulates and thanks the eastern Iowa Gazette for its series about the Democratic presidential candidates and its full-page comparison of their positions on the issues and takes to task the broadcast media in general, and ABC in particular, for their emphasis on endorsements, polls and money. (ABC pulled its reporter from the Kucinich campaign the day after he complained about TV's focus during the New Hampshire debate, December 10.) The piece appeared on The Gazette's opinion page, December 16, 2003.

"It's Not Which Candidate Can Win, But Which Policies." Nicholas Johnson argues that Iowa Democrats need to focus on helping the Party "regain its soul" by supporting the candidate -- Dennis Kucinich -- who supports the people-oriented policies that can inspire the apathetic, alienated and angry electoral dropouts to register once again as Democrats, attend the caucuses and vote in elections. Iowans shouldn't concern themselves with "who can win." There are plenty of forthcoming primaries, and the Democratic National Convention itself, to sellect the candidate with the greatest possibility of beating President Bush. The piece appeared as an "Iowa View" on the Des Moines Register's Opinion page December 12, 2003.

"A Great Return on Investment." In this December 12, 2003, Iowa City Press-Citizen opinion piece Nicholas Johnson praises the Press-Citizen for researching and reporting the campaign contributions that preceded a congressional grant of $50 million for the "Iowa Child" rainforest project. He goes on to point out that the return -- usually 1000:1, or 2000:1 -- is not an aberration; it is the standard return to campaign contributors over the years. Posted December 12, 2003.

"Kucinich: Health Care, Not Health Insurance." Speaking for Congressman Dennis Kucinich at the AARP Iowa Health Care Forum, Coralville, Iowa, December 8, 2003, Nicholas Johnson explains the congressman's universal, single-payer plan as something supported by 62 percent of the American people and virtually every civilized, industrialized nation on earth -- but not by the four other leading candidates also represented at that event. Posted here December 8, 2003.

"Pill Bill Chock-Full of Defects." Nicholas Johnson argues that the Republicans' bill, supposedly providing pharmaceutical benefits to seniors, may be politically useful in the 2004 election, but won't even go into effect until 2006, by which time (since it forbids pharmaceutical price controls or imports) most seniors may well end up paying more than they do now. The primary beneficiaries, he says, will be the pharmaceutical and insurance companies that have been some of the largest campaign contributors to the senators and members of congress who voted for the bill. This op ed was published in the November 29, 2003, Muscatine [Iowa] Journal, and posted here December 8, 2003.

"We've Got Trouble With a Capital 'P.'"  Harold Hill, the Music Man, is back in Iowa, only this time it's not a pool table, it's a real pool: a million-gallon acqurium in a 4.5 acre rain forest called "Iowa Child" that will need to be heated throughout Iowa's winters and cooled in its summers. The Republican Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert, says the $70 million contribution of federal tax money makes it a "pork project." Nicholas Johnson agrees: "It does have something of the aroma of a hog lot." Moreover, the secrecy and speed makes it look like "elected officials and backers are trying to sneak into town, under cover of darkness, a questionable project larger than a herd of white elephants and nearly six times costlier than the recently approved school bond issue." Published in the Iowa City Press-Citizen, and posted here, November 18, 2003.

"Kucinich vs. Dean: Pentagon Budget, Pre-Kindergarten and Health Care."  Congressman Dennis Kucinich responds on air to Nicholas Johnson's question, via e-mail, regarding differences between him and Governor Howard Dean on issues regarding defense spending, public funding of preschool programs, and health care. "Talk of Iowa," WSUI-AM 910, Iowa City, Iowa, with host Dennis Reese and guest Congressman Dennis Kucinich, November 14, 2003.

"The Limits of Human Subjects Research." Nicholas Johnson and psychiatrist and human subjects researcher Dr. Michael Flaum are engaged in conversation with host Gayane Torosyan regarding the history, effectiveness and detrimental consequences of ethical standards for human subjects research. "Week's End," WSUI-AM 910, Iowa City, Iowa, November 9, 2003.

"The History of Media Reform: Scanning the Horizon." This is the advance text of Nicholas Johnson's remarks at the History of Media Reform Panel of the National Conference on Media Reform in Madison, Wisconsin, November 7, 2003. He offers a broad view of the sweep of what he contends should be considered as "media reform" efforts well beyond the work of the so-called public interest organizations of the 1960s and beyond. Posted here November 7, 2003.

"Kucinich and Education." Nicholas Johnson points out to the student readers of the University of Iowa student newspaper, the Daily Iowan, that while they and others in the state are arguing about the amount of tuition increases, Dennis Kucinish has staffed out and introduced legislation to fully fund education for all from age three through a college degree. Johnson says this is something the U.S. did after World War II that it called "the GI Bill" and that it's worth a serious look now -- if the media could only look at serious issues in the presidential primary rather than report it as a horse race. He concludes the opinion piece, "you have a personal stake in Iowa's precinct caucuses Jan. 19." Published in the Daily Iowan and posted here November 6, 2003.

"Kucinich Fights for Health Care." Nicholas Johnson argues that presidential primary and general election campaigns should be seen as a great opportunity for adult continuing education about citizenship and public policy issues -- and would be if only the media would focus on something other than the candidates' standing in the polls and fund raising. At a time when seemingly everyone is focusing on health care costs Johnson notes that most proposals retain corporate profit-maximizing; meanwhile, Kucinich is proposing, and two-thirds of all Americans support, the kind of "single-payer" program that exists in virtually every civilized, industrialized nation. The opinion piece was published in the Iowa City Press-Citizen, and posted here, October 31, 2003.

"Politics and the Funding of Higher Education." With public higher education confronting deep, deep cuts -- at the University of Iowa and throughout the country -- legislators and educational administrators are accepting the reduction, setting priorities and debating how much to raise tuition. Johnson argues that presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich has the more creative and courageous approach: free college tuition for all. It worked when we expanded public education from 8th grade to a full 12 years including high school. It worked for college with the "GI Bill" after World War II, empowering a generation and energizing an economy. It's time to extend public education once again, from K-12 to K-16. Nicholas Johnson's comments were presented to host Dennis Reece, and guest UI Professor Peverill Squire, on the "Talk of Iowa" program over WSUI-AM 910, Iowa City, Iowa, October 27, 2003.

"Dennis Kucinich and the National Democratic Party's Future." This is the prepared text of Nicholas Johnson's talk as a Kucinich "surrogate" at an October 25, 2003, gathering of Iowa Democrats in Des Moines organized by Chet Culver. It offers the party faithful a report and analysis of the national Democratic Party's demise over the last 30 years -- along with Johnson's recommendations regarding how to reverse the trend, and Congressman Kucinich's potential contribution to that result. An earlier version was presented to the Muscatine County [Iowa] Democratic Party Dinner, October 11, 2003.

"Media Concentration and Democracy." This is the text of Nicholas Johnson's presentation to the Iowa City, Iowa, Unitarian-Universalist Church, August 10, 2003. It deals with, among other things, the reasons for the First Amendment, early history of broadcasting regulation, and the multiple adverse consequences from global, multi-media, conglomerate corporate mergers.

"Back PLA Deal for Local Schools." Nicholas Johnson argues "1. The contractors have already won 95 percent of their battle. All we’re talking about is a pilot project for the remaining 5 percent. 2. There are no magic ingredients in PLAs. That’s why they’re called 'agreements.' The parties (district, unions, contractors) can put in them virtually anything they want. So what’s the fight about? For the sake of the kids, let’s get on with it." The opinion piece was published in the Iowa City Press-Citizen July 23, 2003.

"Kucinich Backers Aren't Kidding."  Nicholas Johnson reports that Congressman Dennis Kucinich supporters believe that not only can he win, he may very well be the only Democrat who can beat President Bush. This Des Moines Register op ed column from July 21, 2003, sets forth their reasoning as to why same-old-same-old capitulation to corporate interests won't cut it.

"Wendell A.L. Johnson Memorial Web Page" was updated July 18, 2003, with links to Nicholas Johnson, "Retroactive Ethical Judgments and Human Subjects Research: The 1939 Tudor Study" -- a paper presented, by invitation, at a City University of New York symposium in December 2002 -- and a couple of articles in the eastern Iowa Gazette: Tom Owen, "When Words Hurt: Stuttering Story Missed the Mark" and "UI Professor's Son Defends Him, Research," both July 13, 2003.

"Is Dean 'a Liberal'?" This well-documented article by Nicholas Johnson is an effort to collect and cite chapter and verse on some of former Vermont Governor Howard Dean's positions on a number of issues. It is, in that sense, a response to any who look at "Who Comes Closest to Your Dreams and Beliefs . . . Kucinich or Dean?" (below) and are so stunned as to believe that its representation of Dean's positions can't possibly be true. It is dated July 7, 2003, and is available in three formats: html, pdf, and doc.

"Who Comes Closest to Your Dreams and Beliefs . . . Kucinich or Dean?" Nicholas Johnson's chart comparing the positions of presidential candidates Dennis Kucinich and Howard Dean on 19 issues; it raises questions as to why Dean has been characterized as "liberal" by his supporters and the media. First posted June 25, 2003.

"Another Iowan for Kucinich." Nicholas Johnson prepared and uploaded this new Web page during the last week of June 2003. It provides links to his, and others', endorsements, Web pages and writing about presidential candidate Congressman Dennis Kucinich.

"Want Free Speech Rights? Go Buy a Station." The FCC has proposed weakening its rules limiting mass media ownership. Some in Congress want to hold the agency to its present standards. In this June 23, 2003, Des Moines Register op ed column Nicholas Johnson argues, "Either is unacceptable. . . . FCC and Congress' approval of media concentration is outrageous. But it's made multiples worse when only owners have First Amendment rights, they can censor, own content as well as distribution systems, combine multiple media within one firm, have few to no obligations to their communities and are not even limited by a watered down fairness docgtrine." Uploaded to this site, June 23, 2003.

"PLAs Help Grow Local Economy." Nicholas Johnson responds to an anti-project labor agreement column: "Our state, like our nation, cannot build economic growth on layoffs and reducing wages. And yet that’s what architect John Lind’s June 14 column (“Bad PLA(y) on school building”) urges the school board to perpetuate. . . . PLAs produce savings . . .. That's one of the reasons PLAs are so widely used by experienced builders in the private sector. They are more likely to complete projects with quality workmanship, ahead of schedule and under budget. Why deny the public sector these benefits? Don’t our school children deserve as much?" The piece was published on the opinion page by the Iowa City Press-Citizen, and uploaded to this site, June 21, 2003.

Interviews with Nicholas Johnson Regarding the June 2, 2003, FCC Ownership Rules:
May 19, 2003. Adam Burke, host, "The Federal Communications Commission and Media Ownership" [transcript only], "Live & Local," Iowa City PATV.
May 19, 2003. University of Iowa News Release, "UI Law Professor Nicholas Johnson Criticizes Proposed FCC Rules Changes."
May 21, 2003. Laura Sidell, NPR, "FCC Proposed Ownership Rules Changes" [transcipt only].
May 28, 2003. Andy Ratner, Baltimore Sun. Andrew Ratner, "How the FCC has influenced what you see, hear, read", Baltimore Sun, June 1, 2003.
May 30, 2003. Peter Maer, CBS, Washington, D.C.
May 30, 2003. David Kirkman, New York Times.
May 30, 2003. Dennis Bernstein, "Flashpoints," KPFA-FM, Berkeley.
May 30, 2003. John Grebe, "Sounds of Dissent," WZBC, Boston.
June 1, 2003. Ian Masters, "Background Briefing" (as downloadable or streaming audio), KPFK-FM, Los Angeles. (A streaming (in Apple Quick Time 6.0) or downloadable mp3 file is also available courtesy Gregory Johnson and ResourcesForLife.com.)
June 1, 2003. Anthony Fest, KPFA-FM, Berkeley.
June 2, 2003. Ed Baxter, KSO-AM, San Francisco.
June 2, 2003. "The Al Malmberg Show, WCCO-AM, Minneapolis [request; N.J. unable to schedule].
June 2, 2003. Cathy Lewis, "HearSay with Cathy Lewis," WHRO-FM, Norfolk.
June 2, 2003. Mike Webb, "Mike Webb Show," KIRO-AM, Seattle.
June 3, 2003. Chris Askew, WAOK-AM, Atlanta [request; N.J. unable to schedule].
June 3, 2003. Peter Werbe and Juline Jordan, "Peter Werbe Show," IE America Radio Network, Detroit.
June 3, 2003. Jerome Lewis and George Umballa, Trinidad's i95FM.
June 5, 2003. Gayane Torosyan, "Iowa Talks,"WSUI-AM, Iowa City (with other guests Rick Sellers of KMRY-AM, Cedar Rapids, and James Gattuso from The Heritage Foundation, Washington by phone). A streaming (in Apple Quick Time 6.0) or downloadable mp3 file is available courtesy Gregory Johnson and ResourcesForLife.com. A written transcript is also available.
June 9, 2003. Richard Kaffenberger, "The Richard Kaffenberger Show," KAAA-1230, Kingman AZ and KZZZ-1490, Bullhead City AZ ( "Media Concentration," transcript only).
June 9, 2003. Adalila Zelada (guest host for Sonali Kolhatkar), "The Morning Show," KPFK-FM, Los Angeles.

Our thanks to the University of Iowa News Services and the Institute for Public Accuracy for their invitations, and role in arranging, some of these media events.

"Proposal for I.C. School Builders is Akin to Teachers' Pacts." Nicholas Johnson's literary friend, Elmer, explains to him how the proposed Project Labor Agreement for the Iowa City Community School District's new elementary school involves principles and a process not unlike what the School Board has been doing for years in its labor relations with the District's teachers. The op-ed column appeared in the Eastern Iowa Gazette on Sunday, June 1, 2003, and was uploaded to this site the same day.

"FCC Proposed Ownership Rules Changes." At a time when the FCC was expected to announce new broadcast station ownership rules on June 2, 2003, arguments raged in some media as the date approached over the pros and cons of the proposed changes. NPR's Laura Sidell interviewed Nicholas Johnson about station ownership limits and related issues. This link goes to a transcript of his answers during that interview on May 21, 2003. Posted here June 7, 2003.

"The Federal Communications Commission and Media Ownership." At a time when the FCC was expected to announce new broadcast station ownership rules on June 2, 2003, arguments raged in some media as the date approached over the pros and cons of the proposed changes. An Iowa City, Iowa, Public Access Television program, "Live and Local," hosted by Adam Burke, featured Nicholas Johnson as the guest discussing these issues on May 19, 2003 (live, with repeats on May 24 and 26). This link takes you to a transcript of the exchange between Adam Burke and Nicholas Johnson on that occasion; uploaded here May 30, 2003.

"Make School Projects Labor Friendly." The Iowa City Community School District Board held an informational meeting May 13, 2003, regarding "project labor agreements" (PLAs) in general, and in particular the possible use of one for a very small portion of its forthcoming near-$40 million construction program. Johnson details at some length the evidence that "Iowa is not very friendly to working people," the advantages to the District of this proposed PLA, and the conclusion that given labor's work in getting the school bond issue passed this "tiny, experimental PLA" would be "good for kids" as evidence that their adult role models value the contribution of the trades and service sector people in the community. The piece was published as an op ed column by the Iowa City Press-Citizen, and uploaded to this site, on May 15, 2003.

"Forty Years of Wandering in the Wasteland" Nicholas Johnson was asked to contribute to a special issue of the Federal Communications Law Journal commemorating the fortieth anniversary of former FCC Chair Newton Minow's "vast wasteland" speech. He used the opportunity to look back and describe both what had changed in broadcasting over that time, and what remains the same, what has improved and what become worse. It was published in the May 2003 issue (55 F.C.L.J. 521), posted to the Web site in September 2004, and inserted here in this list December 26, 2004.

"War in Iraq: The Military Objections" is a paper prepared for delivery on February 27, 2003, at the University of Iowa College of Law's "International Law Talks: War with Iraq," Sponsored Jointly by the International and Comparative Law Program and the National Lawyers Guild. The paper examines the war in Iraq not from the perspective of international law, humanitarian concerns, or risk of a resulting increased terrorism in the United States, but from a military perspective. When can national interests benefit from the use of military force and when not? What do the wisest military leaders themselves believe are necessary prerequisites to a successful military venture? The paper presents some elements of the so-called "Powell Doctrine" that speak to these questions, and goes on to argue that the U.S. civilians' decisions with regard to military efforts in Iraq failed to take into account the best military thinking. With revisions through April, the paper continued to expand with endnotes and an appendix as many of the concerns of February were played out over the weeks that followed.

"Ten Questions for Bush Before War." This op ed appeared as a Daily Iowan "Guest Opinion" on February 4, 2003. In it, Johnson does not argue for or against going to war with Iraq, only that before going to war there are a number of questions that need to be asked, and answered that, in his judgment, had not yet been adequately addressed. They involve such things as the impact of the war on terrorists ability to recruit -- and launch more attacks on the U.S., the diversion from our country's anti-Al Qaeda efforts and attempts to rebuild Afghanistan. With the passage of time since this was written, each is being answered in turn. This Web-posted version also contains links to some of Johnson's post 9/11 writing about terrorism in general and the Iraq war in particular.

"Why I'm Voting for the School Bonds."  Nicholas Johnson's op ed appeared in the Iowa City Press-Citizen February 1, 2003 and was posted here February 3. In it he explains that he is supporting the ICCSD proposed bond issue in the election February 11, 2003, notwithstanding differences he has with some of the Board's decisions. This is because he believes the process has been both fair and politic in building consensus around the wishes of the District's stakeholders -- rather than, in all instances, selecting what other school districts believe to be "best practices."

"The First Amendment Right to Censor"  is a transcript of an interview of Nicholas Johnson by Larry Bensky, KPFA, Berkeley, and Robert Knight, WBAI, New York, during the Columbia University Law School Conference on the FCC's Proposed Relaxation of Media Ownership Standards, January 16, 2003. Johnson notes that Congress was prescient enough in 1926 to see the risks to democracy from media concentration, and says things have only become worse since. Posted January 19, 2003.

The "Nicholas Johnson Media" site was created December 26, 2002, with the assistance of "PC DOC," Gregory Johnson, of Resources For Life. Com. Links from this site currently go to information about the Haefner Award, including two programs from the John Carhoff and Mike Peterson-produced series, "Education Exchange," recorded on September 30, 2002, and broadcast on the Iowa City cable system. They are called "Civic Education and the Haefner Award," hosted by Melanie Goss, and contain contributions from social studies teachers Mike Cervantes, Jeanine Redlinger and Carrie Watson. Those programs include, and the site makes available separately, John Haefner's brief explanation of civic education and the Haefner Award. There is also a link to Nicholas Johnson's December 20, 2002, presentation to the Weber Elementary School students of his recollection