Adam H. Johnson Adam H. Johnson Host, The Appeal podcast. Media analyst at FAIR.org and host of the Citations Needed podcast. @adamjohnsonNYC
The Appeal Podcast: Documenting the Death Penalty With Jordan Smith and Liliana Segura of The Intercept. Adam H. Johnson
A Lack Of Evidence Doesn’t Keep The New York Times From Declaring a ‘Spike In Crime’ In two articles, the Times asserts a ‘spike’ in crime since the passage of bail reform in New York, an increase that the articles themselves note they can’t prove. Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: Police Abuse In American Schools With journalist Roxanna Asgarian. Adam H. Johnson
Singling Out Crime ‘Suspects’ As Homeless Is A Media Double Standard That Unjustly Penalizes The Poor Leading with housing status for homeless people is a common trope in the news reporting business and one in urgent need of re-examining. Adam H. Johnson
Police and Sheriff’s Departments Join Media Campaign Against Bail Reform In New York State A wave of sensationalist press is not just coming from New York City, but also from county sheriff and city police departments frustrated by bail reform that they claim is ‘too broad.’ Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: Re-examining the Science of Shaken Baby Syndrome With Appeal staff reporter Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg. Adam H. Johnson
‘Weird News,’ ‘Dumb Criminals’ and the Media’s Monetization of Human Misery There’s a cynical local-to-national news pipeline designed to mock the powerless under the guise of “odd” news stories. Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: Substandard Healthcare in American Prisons With Taylor Elizabeth Eldridge, a Type Investigations Ida B. Wells Fellow and Appeal contributor. Adam H. Johnson
The Media’s Misguided Backlash Against Criminal Justice Reforms in D.C. and New York Many liberals support reform in theory. But when unpopular decisions need to be made, it’s back to the 1990s “Tough on Crime” playbook. Adam H. Johnson
Misplaced Outrage Over Kentucky Governor’s Pardons Harms Criminal Justice Reform Sensational headlines may score short-term partisan points, but long term they contribute to a toxic culture of Willie Hortonism. Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: The Regressive Pseudoscience of Our ‘War on Opioid Addiction’ With Appeal contributor Zachary Siegel, a journalism fellow at Northeastern University Law School’s Health in Justice Action Lab, and Lev Facher of STAT News. Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: The Cruel Roadblocks to Getting Innocent People Out of Prison With Daniel Harawa, assistant professor at Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: Imagining A Post-Incarceration World With Danielle Sered of Common Justice Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: States Turn To Nitrogen Gas For Executions, Despite Serious Concerns With Appeal staff reporter Lauren Gill Adam H. Johnson
Uncritical Reporting on a Biased Baltimore Spy Plane Poll A close examination of a poll backed by a business group reveals loaded questions, undisclosed conflicts of interest, and the shortchanging of very real privacy concerns. Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: When Criminal Justice Reform Preserves The Status Quo With Civil Rights Corps founder Alec Karakatsanis Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: When Police Officers Double as Prosecutors With Appeal contributors Julia Rock and Harry August Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: A Lack of Basic Rights for Incarcerated Workers With journalist Sessi Kuwabara Blanchard Adam H. Johnson
Exploiting New York City’s Chinatown Killings to Attack Bail Reform The New York Post used a tragedy to target bail reform activists, rather than point to the challenges of a failed mental health system and poverty. Adam H. Johnson
A One-Sided Report on North Carolina Gun Violence The Charlotte Observer built a narrative on gun crime that relies almost exclusively on police and prosecutors, ignores the violence of incarceration, and offers zero non-carceral solutions. Adam H. Johnson
U.S. Prisoners on Death Row Endure Permanent Solitary Confinement Before Execution With Appeal staff reporter Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Adam H. Johnson
Helping ICE Stir Up Anti-Immigrant Fervor in Maryland WJLA’s Kevin Lewis selectively reports on immigrants arrested for sex crimes to paint a misleading picture of violence in Montgomery County. Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: The War on Drugs Continues In Family Court With Miriam Mack and Elizabeth Tuttle Newman of The Bronx Defenders Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: Chesa Boudin And The Meaning of ‘Reform’ With Chesa Boudin, candidate for San Francisco district attorney Adam H. Johnson
How Local Media Should Report on Safe Injection Sites In a rare case of local media nuance, a Boston TV news station provided a humane and health-focused segment on safe drug use. Adam H. Johnson
Report Praises High School in Jail But Fails to Ask Why Kids Are Locked Up at All A Pittsburgh public radio piece lacked critical reporting about the many problems with jailing children in adult facilities. Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: The Rise of Registries With Appeal contributor Guy Hamilton-Smith and Elizabeth Letourneau of the Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Adam H. Johnson
Assuming Guilt While Reporting on Mass Arrests Kansas City news outlets called scores of people ‘violent criminals’ based solely on the word of police and the federal government. Adam H. Johnson
Bail Isn’t Supposed to Be a Punishment. Why Does the Media Keep Acting Like it Is? How high or low bond is isn’t a measure of how severe the state considers a crime. Adam H. Johnson
Painting a Distorted Picture of Crime ‘Spikes’ in New York City Murder rates are at an all-time low in Brooklyn, but one would hardly know it reading the New York Times. Adam H. Johnson
Sensationalist Tale of an Elderly Killer Feeds False Narrative The New York Times’s coverage of the one-off case of a 77-year-old man omits key facts about how older adults are treated by our punitive legal system. Adam H. Johnson
Stoking Hostility Toward Homeless People Dozens of reports about an indigent man in Bradenton, Florida, showed the cruel excesses of local news’s homelessness coverage. Adam H. Johnson
Media Frame: 5 Common Tactics Used to Discredit Reform D.A.s The backlash is underway against a recent wave of prosecutors who champion criminal justice reform. Here are some methods of attack. Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: The Media’s Misguided Fentanyl Hype With Appeal contributor Maia Szalavitz Adam H. Johnson
Media Frame: Chicago ‘Bean’ Graffiti Outrage Prioritizes Property Over People Outlets ran over 200 articles covering the vandalism. The outsize attention will likely damage young lives. Adam H. Johnson
Media Frame: A ‘War on Cops’ Narrative Without Evidence ABC News claims anti-police violence is on the rise but offers no data. Adam H. Johnson
Media Frame: Time to Ban Ride-Along Police TV Reality shows like ‘The First 48,’ ‘Live PD,’ and ‘Cops’ are interfering in legal cases, exploiting people of color, and threatening lives. Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: Qualified Immunity, A Roadblock to Reform With Appeal contributors Amir H. Ali and Emily Clark of the MacArthur Justice Center Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: What’s Changed Since The 2018 Prison Strike? With Jailhouse Lawyers Speak spokesperson and Right 2 Vote national coordinator Amani Sawari Adam H. Johnson
Media Frame: Stoking Panic Over ‘Flood’ of ‘Juveniles’ in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor The sensationalist coverage of a handful of fights highlights local media’s misplaced priorities. Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: American Cities’ Growing Reliance on Surveillance With Appeal contributor Mike Hayes Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: Criminal Justice Reform Hits Roadblock in Arizona With Caroline Isaacs of the American Friends Service Committee Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: Reframing The Bronx 120 Raid With City University of New York law professor Babe Howell Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: Generational Harm, A Hidden Cost of Mass Incarceration With Chicago activist Celia Colón Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: NYPD-SVU’s Low Clearance Rate for Sexual Assault With Appeal contributor Meg O’Connor Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: Policing Public Health With Leo Beletsky, Appeal contributor and Associate Professor of Law and Health Sciences at Northeastern University. Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: The Baltimore Police Department’s Troubled Homicide Unit With Appeal contributor Amelia McDonell-Parry Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: The Long, Troubled History of Gravity Knife Prosecution With Appeal contributor Jon Campbell Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: Pushing For Police Accountability in Sacramento With Appeal senior staff reporter Aaron Morrison Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: The Backlash Against Expanding Voting Rights With Appeal staff reporter Kira Lerner Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: Mayor of Jackson Faces Uphill Battle for Police Accountability With Appeal contributor Ko Bragg Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: Prisoners With Disabilities Fight for Equal Rights With Appeal contributor Keri Blakinger Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: How Police Unions Are Fighting California’s New Transparency Law With Appeal contributor Darwin BondGraham Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: A Pattern of Jail Deaths in Western New York—and Across the Country With Appeal contributor Raina Lipsitz Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: Debunking the Stories About Federal Prisoners Dining on Steak With Craig Cesal and Amy Ralston Povah Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: Brutality in Baton Rouge With Appeal contributors Clarissa Sosin and Daryl Khan. Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: How Local Governments are Pushing Back Against ICE With Appeal senior reporter Debbie Nathan. Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: Black Lives Matter and Racism in the Criminal System With Angela J. Davis, Appeal contributor and professor of law at American University's Washington College of Law. Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: The Pseudoscience behind Forensic Science With Jessica Brand, Legal Director at The Justice Collaborative and Appeal contributor. Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: Real Reform vs. Faux Reform With Appeal senior staff reporter, and co-host of the Justice in America podcast, Josie Duffy Rice. Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: Criminalizing Trans Lives With Appeal writer Aviva Stahl and trans rights activist Ceyenne Doroshow. Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: Neglect and Abuse in Our Prison Healthcare System With Mercedes Montagnes of the Promise of Justice Initiative. Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: Prison Strikes Are the Front Line Against Mass Incarceration With Appeal staff reporter Raven Rakia. Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: How Activists Brought Down the Most Powerful Man in Chicago With writer Kelly Hayes. Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: The Cruelty of Felony Murder Laws With Appeal contributor Katie Rose Quandt. Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: Why Police Accountability is as Elusive as Ever With Appeal staff reporter George Joseph. Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast: On the Ground in Dallas’s High Stakes D.A. Race With Dominique Walker of the ACLU, Reverend Edwin Robinson of Faith in Texas, and Joe Estelle of Texas Organizing Project. Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast Episode 14: The Prison-to-School Pipeline With activist and scholar Danny Murillo. Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast Episode 12: When Electronic Cages Replace Steel and Cement With journalist Kira Lerner. Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast Episode 11: Prosecutors Team Up With Walmart to Crack Down on Petty Crime With journalist Jessica Pishko. Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast Episode 10: Racism and Corruption in Child Protection Courts With journalist Roxanna Asgarian. Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast Episode 9: The History––and Promise––of the Bail Abolition Movement With journalist Bryce Covert. Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast Episode 8: The Racist Zeal of ‘Zero Tolerance’ and Trump’s Anti-Immigrant Escalation With Appeal reporter Max Rivlin-Nadler. Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast Episode 7: What Abolitionists Mean When They Talk About Abolition With William C. Anderson, journalist and co-author of As Black As Resistance. Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast Episode 6: The Unique Cruelty of Sentencing Children to Life Without Parole With journalist Victoria Law. Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast Episode 5: How Silicon Valley Supports LAPD Surveillance With Appeal staff reporter George Joseph. Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast Episode 4: How Prison Reform Was Co-Opted to Sell More Prisons With journalists Raven Rakia and Ashoka Jegroo. Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast Episode 3: Turning Users Into Dealers and Overdoses into Murders Guest Zachary A. Siegel is a journalist covering the opioid crisis. Adam H. Johnson
Announcing The Appeal Podcast Our debut episodes feature Josie Duffy Rice on prosecutors and Melissa Gira Grant on criminalizing sex work. Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast Episode 2: The Misplaced Sanctimony of Criminalizing Sex Work With Melissa Gira Grant, senior staff reporter at The Appeal. Adam H. Johnson
The Appeal Podcast Episode 1: District Attorneys Are The Most Powerful People You’ve Never Heard Of With Josie Duffy Rice, senior staff reporter at The Appeal. Adam H. Johnson
