What is Brett's Story?

Brett comes to UI after teaching at the Missouri School of Journalism from 2015 to 2022. Brett received his MA from UI SJMC in 2011, and his PhD in Mass Communication from the University of Minnesota in 2015. His research and teaching focus on media law, media ethics, media sociology, and the disruptive forces of digital technology on all of these fields. Brett received his JD from the UI College of Law in spring 2024.

Perreault, G., Johnson, B. G., & Klein, L. (2022). “Covering Hate: Field Theory and Journalistic Role Conception in Reporting on White Nationalist Rallies.” Journalism Practice, 16(6), 1117-1133. doi:10.1080/17512786.2020.1835525

Young, R., Kananovich, V. & Johnson, B. G. (2021). “Young Adults’ Folk Theories of How Social Media Harms Its Users.” Mass Communication & Society. doi:10.1080/15205436.2021.1970186

Johnson, B. G., Thomas, R. J. & Kelling, K. (2021). “Boundaries of Hate: Ethical Implications of the Discursive Construction of Hate Speech in U.S. Opinion Journalism.” Journal of Media Ethics, 36(1), 20-35. doi:10.1080/23736992.2020.1841643

Johnson, B. G., Thomas, R. J. & Fuzy, J. (2021). “Beyond Journalism about Journalism: Amicus Briefs as Metajournalistic Discourse.” Journalism Practice, 15(7), 937-954. doi:10.1080/17512786.2020.1758590

Guo, L. & Johnson, B. G. (2020). “Third-Person Effect and Hate Speech Censorship on Facebook.” Social Media + Society, 18(3), 410-428. doi:10.1177/2056305120923003

Johnson, B. G. & Epping, S. (2019). “Forum Delegation: The Birth and Transposition of a New Approach to Public Forum Doctrine.” Hastings Communication & Entertainment Law Journal, 42(1), 77-117.

Johnson, B. G. (2018). “Tolerating and Managing Extreme Speech on Social Media.” Internet Research, 28(5), 1275-1291. Special issue on “The Dark Side of Social Media.” doi:10.1108/IntR-03-2017-0100

Johnson, B. G. & Kelling, K. (2018). “Placing Facebook: ‘Trending,’ ‘Napalm Girl,’ ‘Fake News’ and Journalistic Boundary Work.” Journalism Practice, 12(7), 817-833. doi:10.1080/17512786.2017.1349546

Johnson, B. G. (2017). “Speech, Harm and the Duties of Digital Intermediaries: Conceptualizing Platform Ethics,” Journal of Media Ethics, 32(1), 16-27. doi:10.1080/23736992.2016.1258991