Matt Welch

Last updated
Matt Welch
Matt Welch by Gage Skidmore.jpg
Welch in July 2016
Born
Matthew Lee Welch

(1968-07-31) July 31, 1968 (age 55)
Occupation(s) Journalist, political commentator
Political party Independent
SpouseEmmanuelle Richard
Children2

Matthew Lee Welch (born July 31, 1968) is an American blogger, journalist, author, and libertarian political pundit. [2] [3]

Contents

Early life

Welch was born on July 31, 1968, in Bellflower, California. He was raised in Long Beach, California. [1] He attended UC Santa Barbara as part of the class of 1990, but did not complete a degree. Through his mother, author Mary Bobbitt Townsend, he is the great-great-grandson of Rear Admiral Hugo Osterhaus. [4] [5]

Career

In the late 1990s, Welch wrote for Tabloid.Net, along with Tim Blair and Ken Layne. [6] In the early 1990s, he was one of the founders of the Prague-based newspaper Prognosis. [7] He researched the effects of UN sanctions against Iraq, often criticizing the reporting of others. [8] [9] [10] Commentator Mike Rosen praised his research as "yeoman's work." [11]

In 2007, he wrote a portrayal of 2008 Republican presidential nominee John McCain from a libertarian perspective. In McCain: The Myth of a Maverick, [12] Welch argued that a McCain presidency would advance a statist agenda. [13] [14] [15] [16] Through a FOIA request, Welch obtained a copy of McCain's National War College thesis which, based on his experience as a POW, argued for the teaching of US foreign policy to military recruits. [17]

From 2008 to 2016, he was editor-in-chief at the monthly libertarian journal, Reason . [18] He now serves as editor-at-large. [19] From 2006 to 2007, he was an editorial page editor for the Los Angeles Times . [19] Welch earned the award for "Best Entertainment Review/Criticism/Column" in the 53rd Annual Southern California Journalism Awards, hosted by the Los Angeles Press Club, for his work, "Bailing Out Big Brother: Media criticism goes from rebelling against media oligarchs to handing them a lifeline." [20]

In 2011, Matt Welch co-wrote The Declaration of Independents: How Libertarian Politics Can Fix What's Wrong with America with Reason.tv editor-in-chief Nick Gillespie. [21] He has become a frequent commentator on cable news shows, and was co-host of the Fox Business Network current events and political discussion show, The Independents .

Matt Welch is co-host of The Fifth Column podcast along with Kmele Foster and Michael Moynihan.

Personal life

Welch lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife and two daughters. [19]

Publications

Books

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References

  1. 1 2 "Career Advice". Mediabistro.
  2. Welch, Matt. "Reason magazine articles" . Retrieved 2009-06-11.
  3. Matt Welch – A Libertarian Critique of John McCain (2008-02-01). "Matt Welch – A Libertarian Critique of John McCain Video". Mefeedia.com. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
  4. Welch, Matt (16 October 2007). McCain: The Myth of a Maverick. St. Martin's Publishing. ISBN   9780230608559.
  5. "D.C. Reasonoids: Interested in the Civil War? Come Hear Matt Welch Interview His Mom About Her New Book Yankee Warhorse Tonight at 6 PM, at the German-American Heritage Museum". 28 May 2010.
  6. Welch, Matt. "Tablod.net". Archived from the original on June 10, 2013.
  7. Jacques Poitras (12 September 2020). "Prague Reverb". Medium.
  8. "Reason Magazine – The Politics of Dead Children". Reason.com. March 2002. Retrieved 2010-10-11.
  9. Welch, Matt (2002). "Iraqi death toll doesn't add up". National Post . Retrieved 2009-06-10.
  10. "The Iraqi babies scam is still alive". Archived from the original on 2003-09-04.
  11. Rosen, Mike (2002-03-15). "U.S., U.N. not to blame for deaths of Iraqis". Rocky Mountain News. Archived from the original on 2014-06-11. Retrieved 2014-04-11.
  12. McCain (0230603963) WELCH – Palgrave Macmillan. Palgrave-usa.com. 2006-11-06. Archived from the original on March 19, 2008. Retrieved 2009-06-11. Alt URL
  13. "The Myth of a Maverick, by Matt Welch". Ontheissues.org. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
  14. "BuzzFlash Review: McCain: The Myth of a Maverick (Hardcover)". Buzzflash.com. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
  15. "W. James Antle III on McCain: The Myth of a Maverick on National Review Online". Article.nationalreview.com. 2007-11-29. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
  16. "Bill Moyers Journal . Mickey Edwards and Matt Welch on McCain | PBS". PBS<!. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
  17. Kirkpatrick, David D. (2008-06-15). "In '74 Thesis, the Seeds of McCain's War Views". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-06-27.
  18. ""The Myth of a Maverick": Matt Welch on GOP Frontrunner John McCain". Democracy Now!. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
  19. 1 2 3 "Matt Welch". Reason. 4 November 2023.
  20. "Radley Balko Named "Journalist of the Year," Reason Wins Three Other First Place Prizes at the Southern California Journalism Awards". 28 June 2011. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
  21. "Books – Matt Welch". Amazon.com . Retrieved 7 December 2013.