Lizzie Johnson

Biography

Lizzie Johnson is an award-winning American journalist and author recognized for her immersive, narrative-driven reporting on disaster and conflict. Originally a staff writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, she gained national prominence for her relentless coverage of California’s wildfire crisis, specifically the 2018 Camp Fire that destroyed the town of Paradise. In 2026, Johnson’s work is the foundation of a major motion picture. Her 2022 bestselling book, "Paradise: One Town's Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire", was adapted into the survival thriller "The Lost Bus" (released late 2025). Directed by Paul Greengrass and starring Matthew McConaughey, the film is based on Johnson's minute-by-minute reconstruction of a bus driver’s harrowing attempt to save a busload of children from the flames. Johnson served as a consultant on the project, which has been praised for its fidelity to the real-life events she documented. Currently, Johnson serves as the Ukraine Correspondent for The Washington Post. Based in Kyiv, she has spent late 2025 and early 2026 reporting from the frontlines of the ongoing war, covering Russian missile strikes, the abduction of Ukrainian children, and the geopolitical shifts following the U.S. elections. Her international reporting earned her a finalist spot for the 2025 Livingston Award for Young Journalists. Prior to her international posting, she was a key member of the Post's narrative accountability team. She is an alumna of the University of Missouri and was recently inducted into her high school Hall of Fame in Nebraska.