Meet Reason's Newest Staffer...

I'm extremely happy to announce that Radley Balko will be joining the staff of Reason as a senior editor at the end of this month. Currently a policy analyst at the Cato Institute, Radley is also a columnist for Fox News' website and the proprietor of the excellent blog The Agitator.

He has also been a frequent contributor to the print and online editions of Reason, most recently with his terrific feature story in the October issue, "The Case of Cory Maye: A cop is dead, an innocent man may be on death row, and drug warriors keep knocking down doors."

Welcome aboard, Radley!

Comments

methodman | October 16, 2006, 9:45am | #

hell yes.

joe | October 16, 2006, 9:48am | #

That was some first-rate work on the Maye case, Mr. Balko.

I look forward to your postings.

A lurker | October 16, 2006, 10:01am | #

Fantastic addition. The Agitator is the only political blog I read besides Reason. This ranks up there with thinking that maybe you could put peanuts in M&M's.

jf | October 16, 2006, 10:01am | #

That's the best thing I've read here in a while. Excellent pickup.

mk | October 16, 2006, 10:06am | #

The Agitator has been a source of righteous domestic libertarian rage for years. I look forward to seeing what Radley can contribute.

Now you guys just need to get Rogier van Bakel on board to cover European outrages and you'll have most of the world covered.

R C Dean | October 16, 2006, 10:08am | #

Woo hoo!

Jeremy Mahler | October 16, 2006, 10:15am | #

I also really, really enjoyed the article on the Maye case - I handed my (PRINT) copy off to a friend to make him read the article, and last I knew it had traveled through at least a dozen hands. I look forward to the writing!

mediageek | October 16, 2006, 10:16am | #

Awesome.

thoreau | October 16, 2006, 10:18am | #

Excellent!

Daze | October 16, 2006, 10:21am | #

Groovy. I love the Agitator.

Troy | October 16, 2006, 10:28am | #

I love the Agitator too, except that it doesn't allow for comments. What kind of blog doesn't allow for comments? Whasss up wid dat?

Grummun | October 16, 2006, 10:28am | #

From the most recent post on

Isn't this Tim's job?

Jaybird | October 16, 2006, 10:30am | #

Woo! We get to comment on his posts again!

Hey! Radley! You spelled a word wrong!

Man, this is going to be sweeet.

Warren | October 16, 2006, 10:30am | #

Wow, what a feather for the Reason cap. Hope this doesn't damage your career too much Radley. Hate to find out you're living in a cardboard box in a few years.

Steve | October 16, 2006, 10:42am | #

Great news. Plus, now, Gillespie won't be the ugliest guy on the staff.

lk | October 16, 2006, 10:45am | #

A libertarian? Wow. I hope he writes often, I am tried of reading the self-named libertarian Glenn Reynolds. Maybe GR was a libertarian once, but he gave it up many moons ago.

Jennifer | October 16, 2006, 10:49am | #

Definitely a feather in Reason's cap.

Baylen | October 16, 2006, 10:54am | #

So fucking cool. Congrats Radley, and congrats Reason.

Rick Barton | October 16, 2006, 11:00am | #

Radley's stuff is unfailingly interesting. Kudos to Reason and Radley!

martin | October 16, 2006, 11:10am | #

All right! Good move!

Radley, look for my mail. I need some advice how to pull this off.

BTW: What do you mean by "less-wonkish types of writing"?

Chris Grieb | October 16, 2006, 11:11am | #

Great choice. One of my favorite writers.

Jim Murphy | October 16, 2006, 11:12am | #

Like adding Karl Malone to the Shaq/Kobe era Lakers...great pickup!

Jeff in Texas | October 16, 2006, 11:12am | #

Awesome. The Agitator is one of my favorites.

joshua corning | October 16, 2006, 11:14am | #

he looks like a bad ass...anyway welcome to the team.

Phil | October 16, 2006, 11:15am | #

Good choice, he's a great writer

wha? | October 16, 2006, 11:18am | #

What happened to his drill instructor's hat?

An excellent move on Reason's part, though. Welcome!

The Server Squirrels | October 16, 2006, 11:25am | #

FREASH MEAT!

The Server Squirrels | October 16, 2006, 11:26am | #

FRESH MEAT!

jason | October 16, 2006, 11:29am | #

As a former intern of Radley's back when he was stuck working on Cato marketing, I could not be happier for him.

The Cato mafia will one day rule the world.

lunchstealer | October 16, 2006, 11:33am | #

I believe the appropriate term is 'w00t!'

GM | October 16, 2006, 11:38am | #

Bravo!

Jeff P. | October 16, 2006, 11:39am | #

The Cato Mafia?

"Nice revenue service ya got here. It'd be a shamed if something happened to it..."

Warren | October 16, 2006, 11:49am | #

Jeff P,
Get over here and wipe the coffee off my screen right now!

fishbane | October 16, 2006, 11:55am | #

Rock on! Balko is one of the few reasons I don't fear the future as much as I otherwise might.

ANONYMORE | October 16, 2006, 12:23pm | #

Ditto to the many positive comments above.

Radley's commentaries, either on his blog, or on Fox, or for Cato, are always sharp, clear, & compelling.

...Never bitchy, snarky or shrill...(cough-Dave Wiegel-cough)

Har.

Ken Shultz | October 16, 2006, 12:33pm | #

Hurrah!

Cab | October 16, 2006, 12:36pm | #

nice.

just another lurker | October 16, 2006, 12:38pm | #

Kudos to Radley and Reason. This is a great acquisition. He's not just another breathy pundit, but, as in the Cory Maye story, a real investigative journalist. Nice that there are still a few out there.

Reason should keep an eye on Philip Dawdy with the Seattle Weekly, too. He's doing some good work.

Ron | October 16, 2006, 12:56pm | #

A very good addition. Congrats!!

jbd | October 16, 2006, 1:43pm | #

Balko is first rate. Can't wait to read more from him.

dead_elvis | October 16, 2006, 2:02pm | #

Congratulations! I have often thought he *should* be at Reason.

Stevo Darkly | October 16, 2006, 2:09pm | #

Good for Reason, and good for Balko!

Just one question: At http://www.theagitator.com/archives/027138.php#027138 Balko says:

At the end of this month, I'll be joining Reason magazine as a senior editor. I'll be overseeing the magazine's website, as well as writing feature stories, and contributing blurbs, book reviews and helping to edit the magazine.

This doesn't mean Tim Cavanaugh is escaping from H&R, does it? Because Cavanaugh is pretty cool also, IMO.

Scenescent | October 16, 2006, 2:20pm | #

Huh. He looks a lot more college football than I had assumed from the Agitator logo.

Kwix | October 16, 2006, 2:39pm | #

Hot damn!! Radley plus Sullum, now there is a powerhouse combo!

hkl | October 16, 2006, 2:44pm | #

FANTASTIC!!! THE AGITATOR IS THE FIRST SITE i LOOK AT EVERYDAY! THAT'S HOW I GOT TO HERE.

Angie | October 16, 2006, 3:34pm | #

Very awesome! And as was pointed above, that means we can finally comment on what Radley says again. I'm sure he misses all of our thoughts. :)

van | October 16, 2006, 4:10pm | #

Stevo:

"This doesn't mean Tim Cavanaugh is escaping from H&R, does it? Because Cavanaugh is pretty cool also, IMO."

Agreed. It would suck to have to trade one for the other.

Aresen | October 16, 2006, 4:34pm | #

Radley

Please try to remember all these nice welcomes when all those posting above are out to nail your hide for something they didn't like.

They are actually very well mannered and will insist on returning your head when they've chopped it off.

Most of them have had all their shots.

Sandy | October 16, 2006, 4:35pm | #

Wait, we're not going to do the traditional "You know, with writers like Weigel things were great, but now that Balko's here, things have gone downhill"?

I keed, I keed. I, too, have been a fan of getting my outrage on over at The Agitator.

Congratulations, everybody.

Randy Gentry | October 16, 2006, 4:42pm | #

Am I the only one who thinks this is a bad idea? I heard Radley was the one who actually shot that cop down in Mississippi.

Bronwyn | October 16, 2006, 7:48pm | #

Rawk! Congratulations to Radley and to Reason!

Agitator fans rejoice as they realise that, once again, they can conduct civilised discourse under Radley's watchful eye. ;)

Jeff P., you owe me a new keyboard.

Sukoi | October 16, 2006, 7:57pm | #

I'm new to posting here but Radley is indeed a good fit for Reason, as well as his own blog and this one as well:

The Drug WarRant

Everything that I've read that Radley has written is pretty damn spot on, even at the FOX web site.

Go Radley!!! You are doing a phenomenal job!

Terry | October 16, 2006, 8:36pm | #

Welcome Randy,
I see your a Hooiser is David Letterman a real Hoosier or a fake?
More Corey Meany like stories, real journalism.

BTW: What kind of guns do you own?
I am doing a survery on libertarian gun ownership.

R. Marley | October 16, 2006, 10:54pm | #

Am I the only one who thinks this is a bad idea? I heard Radley was the one who actually shot that cop down in Mississippi.

He shot the sheriff. But he did not shoot the deputy.

Garth | October 17, 2006, 10:52am | #

The Agitator has topped my blogroll for the past several years. This is great news for Reason but should we be worried that with Radley here there will be one less separate libertarian outlet out there on the blogosphere??? Should I still check both everyday or will one suffice?!?!?!

In any event, I fondly remember the days when The Agitator allowed comments and understand that the trolls and the risk of Mr. Balko possibly getting in trouble over what someone else might post there doomed them... I look forward to the comments on his post over here.

Is The Serpent already banned?

Bronwyn | October 17, 2006, 2:20pm | #

One can only hope, Garth.

Good to see you!

Ruthless | October 17, 2006, 2:29pm | #

"This doesn't mean Tim Cavanaugh is escaping from H&R, does it? Because Cavanaugh is pretty cool also, IMO."

Tim hired Radley to spell the server squirrels.

Garth | October 17, 2006, 2:58pm | #

Hi Bronwyn,

Let's make sure all the old Agitator regulars come back and post here.... we've already got something like 65% of them....

And a suggestion for Reason Hit & Run: maybe you should gravitate all the content over to Radley's site and reinstall his former comments system: as far as I can remember it was all Squirrel-free....