From felon to reporter, MLive public safety reporter Bob Johnson has been on both sides of the police tape. Johnson grew up in Saginaw, and crime was part of his everyday life.
“I grew up in gangs,” he said. “I’ve been in jail and I’ve been shot a few times.”
Johnson, 37, wasn’t able to take the steps to turn his life around until he hit rock bottom.
His transformation started in a jail cell next to his younger cousin and his brother, where he was irritated by the other inmates blaming the police, the system, and everyone besides themselves. He took a hard look at himself.
“What the fuck are you doing?! You’re a grown man; you’re the oldest in the family. Your kids and younger relatives look up to you and the whole family is going to follow your path if you don’t stop.”
While attending Delta’s graduation ceremony for a friend, Johnson decided that Delta may be the key to his transformation. He decided to enroll in the Electronic Media Broadcasting program, in part because there was no math requirement.
Johnson’s love of journalism began when he met instructors and guests at Delta, whom he had seen on the news. He began working for the Delta Collegiate; one of his first stories was about crime rates in Saginaw.
He soon heard about a paid internship at the Saginaw News and accepted it. Johnson’s first story, an article about orchids, gave him his first taste of being on the front page of a “real newspaper”.
Johnson got his Bachelor’s degree in Business from Northwood and later returned to work at the Saginaw News on the print edition for MLive.
Johnson’s background gives him a unique perspective as a public safety reporter.
Journalism requires interest in people and having conversations with them. “Good questions can pull out the truth and change the whole story,” Johnson said.
Johnson takes great joy giving a voice to his friends and neighbors throughout the city. He says that he enjoys it so much that he would do it for free if he could still manage his bills. His favorite part of his job is that he helps inform people but also gets something in return.
“You learn something new every day; it’s like you get a free education.”
