Katherine Mangu-Ward Named Editor-in-Chief of Reason
Matt Welch becomes editor-at-large
Katherine Mangu-Ward has been named editor-in-chief of Reason, the magazine of "free minds and free markets." Mangu-Ward joined the magazine in 2006 and has been Reason's managing editor since 2011.
"This is my dream job," said Mangu-Ward. "I couldn't be more excited about leading Reason magazine's incredible team of journalists as we dig deeply into policy and politics, catalog culture in its high and low forms, and serve up a steady stream of smart, skeptical, sassy libertarian analysis."
"Katherine embodies Reason's dedication to great journalism and developing talent," said David Nott, president of Reason Foundation, which publishes Reason. "Katherine's humor, smarts and strong work ethic have helped drive her rise from Reason intern to editor-in-chief. I'm thrilled that she'll now lead and shape the magazine's coverage and design with her original, provocative and witty vision for impactful journalism."
"One of the great pleasures of Reason—as an editor and (I hope) as a reader—is listening in on five decades of freewheeling conversation about how to make the world more free, more fair, and more fun," said Mangu-Ward, who takes over Reason with the October 2016 edition. "Where else are you going to find a Burning Man regular, Congressional Budget Office report fanboys, a guy willing to publish his entire genome online, and a rabid horde of political junkies sharing a single table of contents?"
"Katherine was built for this job. She's a talented journalist and strong libertarian who combines Reason co-founder Robert Poole's rational, can-do optimism with former Reason editor Virginia Postrel's sense of wonder at what free markets will dream up next," said Matt Welch, who is shifting from Reason's editor-in-chief to editor-at-large. "Her delight at arguing against prevailing opinion, and her futuristic vision make Katherine ideal to lead a vital American magazine."
As editor-at-large, Welch will provide political reporting and analysis for Reason's print, digital and video properties.
"With the wildly unpopular Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton trying to stifle freedom at nearly every turn, we're seeing an unprecedented surge of interest in alternative viewpoints and political parties," said Welch, co-author of The Declaration of Independents: How Libertarian Politics Can Fix What's Wrong With America. "I am excited to be leaping into a historic opportunity to cover this election and the future through a libertarian lens that explores the dark sides of big-government politics, opportunities for third-parties and potentially massive changes to the political system as we know it."
"Matt's had a tremendous, award-winning tenure editing Reason over the last eight years," Nott said. "In this political moment, his brilliant prose and distinctive libertarian political commentary is needed now more than ever and he'll be engaging with audiences across traditional media spaces and emerging platforms."
About Reason
First published in 1968, Reason is the monthly magazine of free minds and free markets. Reason's award-winning print, digital and video properties cover politics, culture and ideas through a provocative mix of news and analysis that always makes a principled case for individual liberty, free markets and the rule of law.
