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John Nichols | The Nation

John Nichols

Author Bios

John Nichols

John Nichols

Washington Correspondent

John Nichols, a pioneering political blogger, has written the Beat since 1999. His posts have been circulated internationally, quoted in numerous books and mentioned in debates on the floor of Congress.

Nichols writes about politics for The Nation magazine as its Washington correspondent. He is a contributing writer for The Progressive and In These Times and the associate editor of the Capital Times, the daily newspaper in Madison, Wisconsin. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune and dozens of other newspapers.

Nichols is a frequent guest on radio and television programs as a commentator on politics and media issues. He was featured in Robert Greenwald's documentary, "Outfoxed," and in the documentaries Joan Sekler's "Unprecedented," Matt Kohn's "Call It Democracy" and Robert Pappas's "Orwell Rolls in his Grave." The keynote speaker at the 2004 Congress of the International Federation of Journalists in Athens, Nichols has been a featured presenter at conventions, conferences and public forums on media issues sponsored by the Federal Communications Commission, the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Consumers International, the Future of Music Coalition, the AFL-CIO, the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, the Newspaper Guild [CWA] and dozens of other organizations.

Nichols is the author of The Genius of Impeachment (The New Press); a critically acclaimed analysis of the Florida recount fight of 2000, Jews for Buchanan (The New Press); and a best-selling biography of Vice President Dick Cheney, Dick: The Man Who is President (The New Press), which has recently been published in French and Arabic. He edited Against the Beast: A Documentary History of American Opposition to Empire (Nation Books), of which historian Howard Zinn said: "At exactly the time when we need it most, John Nichols gives us a special gift--a collection of writings, speeches, poems, and songs from throughout American history--that reminds us that our revulsion to war and empire has a long and noble tradition in this country."

With Robert W. McChesney, Nichols has co-authored the books It's the Media, Stupid! (Seven Stories), Our Media, Not Theirs (Seven Stories), Tragedy and Farce: How the American Media Sell Wars, Spin Elections, and Destroy Democracy (The New Press) and, most recently, The Death and Life of American Journalism (Nation Books). McChesney and Nichols are the co-founders of Free Press, the nation's media-reform network, which organized the 2003 and 2005 National Conferences on Media Reform.

Of Nichols, author Gore Vidal says: "Of all the giant slayers now afoot in the great American desert, John Nichols’s sword is the sharpest."

Articles

News and Features

What does democracy look like? Try a grassroots campaign organized by ordinary citizens to recall their union-busting governor.

These new political monsters have let loose an avalanche of scorched-earth, negative campaign ads—and enriched TV stations in the process.

This holiday season, we celebrate the most inspiring activists, organizations and politicians who are fighting for the 99 percent.

The genius of Occupy Wall Street has been the pitch-perfect resonance of its founding premises. It has grown so rapidly because the American people desperately wanted this movement.

Facing a primary challenger might force Obama to embrace progressive ideals—and he can’t win 2012 if he doesn’t.

The privatization vultures and deficit hawks want to pick apart this essential public service. But the PO is not only a vital community asset; it’s perfectly positioned to lead the country into the digital future.

In seeking to end direct election of senators, the governor is mainstreaming a far-right fantasy.

Blogs

After eight primaries and caucuses, the ordained GOP front-runner has lost the majority of contests. In Minnesota, 83 percent of...
The inspector general says Congressional demands have caused service to “significantly exceed” requirements for pre-funding...
Clint Eastwood talked up American workers in a moving Super Bowl ad, but images from Madison protests were altered to leave out teachers'...
After three years of griping about slow growth, the GOP’'s Budget Committee chair is suddenly fretting about too much growth.
Wisconsin’s union-busting governor traveled to Arizona and urged conservatives to join him in fighting public-employee unions. Now,...
Romney misattributed the key quote of his Florida victory speech to the pamphleteer. But that's hardly the only reason why Paine would have...
When the candidate with the most endorsements and money can't get half of Florida GOP voters to back him, that signals problems in November.
Palin (sort-of) endorses Newt to stop the Soviet-style establishment of the Republican Party.