Matt Welch

Who is Matt Welch?

Matthew Lee "Matt" Welch is an American blogger, journalist, and libertarian political pundit. Since 2008, he has been the editor-in-chief at the monthly libertarian journal, Reason. From 2006 to 2007, he was an editorial page editor for the Los Angeles Times. In the late 1990s, he wrote for Tabloid.Net, along with Tim Blair and Ken Layne, now a writer for Gawker.

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

He has also researched the effects of UN sanctions against Iraq, often criticizing the reporting of others. Commentator Mike Rosen praised his research as "yeoman's work." 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."