Robert M. Johnson
Encyclopedia
Robert M. Johnson former publisher of Newsday
, is now better-known as one of the most prominent men so far accused of child pornography
offenses. http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/whitecollarcrime_blog/2005/06/former_bowne_co.html On August 4, 2006, he pled guilty in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York to one count of possession of child pornography and one count of destroying computer records http://fl1.findlaw.com/news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/chldprn/usjhnsn62805ind.pdf, and was sentenced to fifteen months in federal prison on December 15, 2006.http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nys/pressreleases/December06/johnsonsentencingpr.pdf In 2004, citing personal reasons, he resigned as CEO of the financial information and document management firm Bowne & Co, as well as from his position as a member of the New York State Board of Regents
.
The present article is concerned with Johnson's Newsday years, when he played a leading role in Long Island's governmental and environmental affairs, not only overtly as a dynamic public figure and an activist publisher, but also behind the scenes, particularly in his role as an influential board member of the Long Island Association
.
edition. Johnson was responsible for Newsday's wholesale hiring of top journalists away from the city's other dailies; at one point its roster of columnists and critics was arguably the most prestigious in the United States
.
While at Newsday, Johnson was also the driving force behind a series of ill-fated campaigns to try to promote economic growth on Long Island
, and to reduce the political influence of environmentalists and local civic associations
, which he regarded as obstructionist. (See, eg, Urban Development Corporation section on "The Long Island Partnership".) His close relationship with the noted developer Wilbur Breslin
raised some eyebrows, particularly when the two men travelled together to Washington to lobby for relaxation of real estate lending regulations, which had become much stricter following the Saving and Loan debacle.
Also controversial was Johnson's collaboration with Howard J. Rubenstein
's public relations firm, which was then engaged in composing attacks on environmentalists on behalf of a coalition of Long Island real estate developers and construction labor union leaders, several of whom were indicted for homicide. (See Note 1 below.)
Prior to Johnson's arrival on the scene, Newsday had a hard-earned national reputation for its relentless investigations of criminal corruption. Then the legendary reporters Bob Greene and Tom Renner were sidelined, one by a family tragedy and the other by cancer. Soon after Greene went into semi-retirement and Renner died, Newsday's investigative teams were quietly decommissioned. (See Note 2) The announcement of Johnson's appointment as Publisher had specified that he "will be responsible for its daily operations, including the news department and editorial policy."http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9906E7DB153BF93BA25751C1A963948260
Robert M. Johnson, of Huntington
, Long Island, New York was elected to a five-year term as the Regent for the Tenth District (Nassau
and Suffolk
Counties) effective April 1, 1995, and re-elected to serve through March 31, 2005.
Born in Joliet
, Illinois
, Johnson attended Lockport
Central High School. He graduated from Louisiana State University
in Baton Rouge, in 1968, majoring in Business Finance and Management. He received a Juris Doctor degree in 1971 from the University of Michigan Law School
in Ann Arbor
, Michigan
. He has also received an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from St. John's University, an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Hofstra University
, and an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from Dowling College
.
Johnson was admitted to the Bar in Illinois and Washington, D.C. and joined the firm Seyfarth, Shaw, Fairweather and Geraldson, specializing in representation of the media. He became a partner in 1976 and left the firm to become Vice-President and General Manager of the Dispatch Printing Company of Columbus
, Ohio
in 1978. He was recruited to join Newsday as President and Chief Operating Officer in 1982 and was promoted to Publisher and Chief Executive Officer in 1986, a position he held until he resigned in November 1994. (See Note 3, below.) During his nine years as Newsday's Publisher, the paper expanded into New York City, grew from the ninth to the fifth largest newspaper in the U.S., became the largest selling paper in the New York metropolitan area,http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60610F838550C7A8EDDAD0894DD494D81http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60810F63C5B0C778EDDA90994DC494D81 and won seven Pulitzer Prize
s. Regent Johnson later served as the Chairman and CEO of Bowne & Co.
, Inc., an international leader in supporting the information and document management needs of the financial services industry, headquartered in Manhattan
.
After moving to Long Island in 1982, Johnson served as a Director of the New York State Business Council, the Long Island Association
, and currently serves as a director of the New York City Partnership. He also has served as a director of the Long Island Philharmonic, the New York Blood Center, the Brooklyn Academy of Music
, the South Street Seaport Museum, the Advertising Council, the Audit Bureau of Circulations, and Hofstra University
. The Johnsons have a daughter, now a teacher, and a son, both graduates of the public school system in New York State.
In 2000, Mr. Johnson received The Hundred Year Association of New York
's Gold Medal Award "in recognition of outstanding contributions to the City of New York."
Newsday
Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
, is now better-known as one of the most prominent men so far accused of child pornography
Child pornography
Child pornography refers to images or films and, in some cases, writings depicting sexually explicit activities involving a child...
offenses. http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/whitecollarcrime_blog/2005/06/former_bowne_co.html On August 4, 2006, he pled guilty in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York to one count of possession of child pornography and one count of destroying computer records http://fl1.findlaw.com/news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/chldprn/usjhnsn62805ind.pdf, and was sentenced to fifteen months in federal prison on December 15, 2006.http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nys/pressreleases/December06/johnsonsentencingpr.pdf In 2004, citing personal reasons, he resigned as CEO of the financial information and document management firm Bowne & Co, as well as from his position as a member of the New York State Board of Regents
Board of Regents
In the United States, a board often governs public institutions of higher education, which include both state universities and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual colleges and universities, or both. In general they operate as...
.
The present article is concerned with Johnson's Newsday years, when he played a leading role in Long Island's governmental and environmental affairs, not only overtly as a dynamic public figure and an activist publisher, but also behind the scenes, particularly in his role as an influential board member of the Long Island Association
Long Island Association
The Long Island Association is the largest and oldest group within the business lobby of Long Island, New York. Four archived New York Times stories from the 1920s preserve the LIA’s rhapsodic early efforts to promote business relocation from New York City...
.
Newsday publisher 1986–1994
Johnson served as publisher of Newsday during a difficult and eventful period in the Long Island daily newspaper's history, from 1986 to November 1994. During his tenure, Newsday made the transition to full-color printing, and tried to maintain a New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
edition. Johnson was responsible for Newsday's wholesale hiring of top journalists away from the city's other dailies; at one point its roster of columnists and critics was arguably the most prestigious in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
While at Newsday, Johnson was also the driving force behind a series of ill-fated campaigns to try to promote economic growth on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, and to reduce the political influence of environmentalists and local civic associations
Civil society
Civil society is composed of the totality of many voluntary social relationships, civic and social organizations, and institutions that form the basis of a functioning society, as distinct from the force-backed structures of a state , the commercial institutions of the market, and private criminal...
, which he regarded as obstructionist. (See, eg, Urban Development Corporation section on "The Long Island Partnership".) His close relationship with the noted developer Wilbur Breslin
Wilbur Breslin
Wilbur "Willy" Breslin has been the President and Chief Executive Officer of Breslin Realty Development Corp. since 1965. Active in real estate development, leasing and brokerage for over 45 years, Breslin is an active member of the National Association of Real Estate Boards, the National Institute...
raised some eyebrows, particularly when the two men travelled together to Washington to lobby for relaxation of real estate lending regulations, which had become much stricter following the Saving and Loan debacle.
Also controversial was Johnson's collaboration with Howard J. Rubenstein
Howard J. Rubenstein
Howard J. Rubenstein is an American lawyer and public relations expert. He has been called "the dean of damage control" by Rudolph Giuliani.Rubenstein grew up in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn on 74th St. near Bay Parkway with an older sister. His mother was a homemaker, and his father was a crime reporter...
's public relations firm, which was then engaged in composing attacks on environmentalists on behalf of a coalition of Long Island real estate developers and construction labor union leaders, several of whom were indicted for homicide. (See Note 1 below.)
Prior to Johnson's arrival on the scene, Newsday had a hard-earned national reputation for its relentless investigations of criminal corruption. Then the legendary reporters Bob Greene and Tom Renner were sidelined, one by a family tragedy and the other by cancer. Soon after Greene went into semi-retirement and Renner died, Newsday's investigative teams were quietly decommissioned. (See Note 2) The announcement of Johnson's appointment as Publisher had specified that he "will be responsible for its daily operations, including the news department and editorial policy."http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9906E7DB153BF93BA25751C1A963948260
Biography
The following is a reduced version of a biography formerly displayed on the New York State Board of Regents website.http://www.google.com/search?num=20&hl=en&lr=&newwindow=1&safe=off&client=safari&rls=en-us&q=%22Robert+M.+Johnson%22+Newsday&btnG=SearchRobert M. Johnson, of Huntington
Huntington, New York
The Town of Huntington is one of ten towns in Suffolk County, New York, USA. Founded in 1653, it is located on the north shore of Long Island in northwestern Suffolk County, with Long Island Sound to its north and Nassau County adjacent to the west. Huntington is part of the New York metropolitan...
, Long Island, New York was elected to a five-year term as the Regent for the Tenth District (Nassau
Nassau County, New York
Nassau County is a suburban county on Long Island, east of New York City in the U.S. state of New York, within the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,339,532...
and Suffolk
Suffolk County, New York
Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York on the eastern portion of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,493,350. It was named for the county of Suffolk in England, from which its earliest settlers came...
Counties) effective April 1, 1995, and re-elected to serve through March 31, 2005.
Born in Joliet
Joliet, Illinois
Joliet is a city in Will and Kendall Counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, located southwest of Chicago. It is the county seat of Will County. As of the 2010 census, the city was the fourth-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 147,433. It continues to be Illinois' fastest growing...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, Johnson attended Lockport
Lockport, Illinois
Lockport is a city in Will County, Illinois, United States, that incorporated in 1853. Lockport is located in northeastern Illinois, 30 miles southwest of Chicago, and north of Joliet, at locks connecting Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal with the Des Plaines River via the Lockport...
Central High School. He graduated from Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
in Baton Rouge, in 1968, majoring in Business Finance and Management. He received a Juris Doctor degree in 1971 from the University of Michigan Law School
University of Michigan Law School
The University of Michigan Law School is the law school of the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. Founded in 1859, the school has an enrollment of about 1,200 students, most of whom are seeking Juris Doctor or Master of Laws degrees, although the school also offers a Doctor of Juridical...
in Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. He has also received an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from St. John's University, an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Hofstra University
Hofstra University
Hofstra University is a private, nonsectarian institution of higher learning located in the Village of Hempstead, New York, United States, about east of New York City: less than an hour away by train or car...
, and an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from Dowling College
Dowling College
Dowling College is a private co-educational liberal arts college with three campuses spread across Long Island, New York. The college's main campus in Oakdale, NY sits on the site of William K. Vanderbilt's former Idle Hour estate, which is now known as Fortunoff Hall. The Brookhaven Campus in...
.
Johnson was admitted to the Bar in Illinois and Washington, D.C. and joined the firm Seyfarth, Shaw, Fairweather and Geraldson, specializing in representation of the media. He became a partner in 1976 and left the firm to become Vice-President and General Manager of the Dispatch Printing Company of Columbus
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
in 1978. He was recruited to join Newsday as President and Chief Operating Officer in 1982 and was promoted to Publisher and Chief Executive Officer in 1986, a position he held until he resigned in November 1994. (See Note 3, below.) During his nine years as Newsday's Publisher, the paper expanded into New York City, grew from the ninth to the fifth largest newspaper in the U.S., became the largest selling paper in the New York metropolitan area,http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60610F838550C7A8EDDAD0894DD494D81http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60810F63C5B0C778EDDA90994DC494D81 and won seven Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
s. Regent Johnson later served as the Chairman and CEO of Bowne & Co.
Bowne & Co.
Bowne & Co., Inc. was an American company originating in 1775 by Robert Bowne. It provided financial, marketing and business communications services around the world.RR Donnelley acquired Bowne in 2010.-External links:* * * * *...
, Inc., an international leader in supporting the information and document management needs of the financial services industry, headquartered in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
.
After moving to Long Island in 1982, Johnson served as a Director of the New York State Business Council, the Long Island Association
Long Island Association
The Long Island Association is the largest and oldest group within the business lobby of Long Island, New York. Four archived New York Times stories from the 1920s preserve the LIA’s rhapsodic early efforts to promote business relocation from New York City...
, and currently serves as a director of the New York City Partnership. He also has served as a director of the Long Island Philharmonic, the New York Blood Center, the Brooklyn Academy of Music
Brooklyn Academy of Music
Brooklyn Academy of Music is a major performing arts venue in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City, United States, known as a center for progressive and avant garde performance....
, the South Street Seaport Museum, the Advertising Council, the Audit Bureau of Circulations, and Hofstra University
Hofstra University
Hofstra University is a private, nonsectarian institution of higher learning located in the Village of Hempstead, New York, United States, about east of New York City: less than an hour away by train or car...
. The Johnsons have a daughter, now a teacher, and a son, both graduates of the public school system in New York State.
In 2000, Mr. Johnson received The Hundred Year Association of New York
The Hundred Year Association of New York
The Hundred Year Association of New York, founded in 1927, is a non-profit organization in New York City aimed at recognizing and rewarding dedication and service to the City of New York by businesses and organizations that have been in operation in the city for a century or more and by individuals...
's Gold Medal Award "in recognition of outstanding contributions to the City of New York."