John Bender joined the faculty of the College of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1990. During his time at the university, Bender taught mass media law, beginning and advanced reporting classes, mass media history, graduate seminars in media law and media history, and honors seminars in freedom of expression, media ethics, and media misrepresentations of events, along with a variety of other courses. In his final two years at UNL, Bender served as associate dean for research and faculty affairs.

He is currently working on two textbooks he previously published: Writing and Reporting for the Media (13th edition) and Law for Media Professionals (an online textbook). He is also starting a blog focusing on legal and political issues.

Bender's research interests focused on media law and history, particularly social and governmental controls of information. He has written papers on issues in libel law, legal restrictions on coverage of and access to criminal court proceedings, access to government records, and fees for copies of records, as well as the development of professionalism in journalism.

Before transitioning into academia, Bender worked at The Morning Sun in Pittsburg, Kansas, from 1974 to 1981. He began as a reporter covering county government and state and local politics, later moving to the copy desk before becoming the news editor. In his final three years at the paper, Bender served as managing editor.

After leaving daily journalism, Bender began teaching at Culver-Stockton College in Canton, Missouri, before leaving in 1986 to complete his doctorate. He then joined UNL in 1990.

At UNL, Bender became involved in faculty governance, serving twice as chair of the Academic Rights and Responsibilities Committee and two terms on the Academic Planning Committee, which he also chaired for two academic years. Bender was a member of the Faculty Senate in the 1990s and 2000s, serving on the Executive Committee for three years. He returned to the Senate in 2012 and was again elected to the Executive Committee, later serving as president of the Faculty Senate for the 2015-16 academic year.

During his tenure at UNL, Bender received several honors, including the Academic Freedom Coalition of Nebraska Academic Freedom Award (2000), the R. Neal Copple Friend of Journalism Award from the Nebraska High School Press Association (1996), the College Distinguished Teaching Award (2007), the James A. Lake Academic Freedom Award (2011), the By the People Award from Common Cause Nebraska (2014), the Omaha Press Club Journalism Educator of Distinction Award (2019), and the Honors Journalism Faculty of the Year Award (2020). In 2019, Bender was appointed to the William H. Kearns Chair in Journalism, an honor held until his retirement in 2022. That same year, he was inducted into the Nebraska Journalism Hall of Fame.

Bender earned a bachelor of arts degree from Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, in 1970, a master’s degree from the University of Kansas William Allen White School of Journalism in 1977, and a doctoral degree in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1991.

In retirement, Bender enjoys reading nonfiction, particularly works on American history, First Amendment issues, and current affairs. He also enjoys swimming, walking, and working out at the fitness center where he resides with his spouse.