Conor Renier Friedersdorf is an American journalist and a staff writer at ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...

'', known for his

civil libertarian Civil libertarianism is a strain of political thought that supports civil liberties and rights, or which emphasizes the supremacy of individual rights and personal freedoms over and against any kind of authority (such as a state, a corporat ...

perspectives.

Early life and career

He attended

Pomona College Pomona College ( ) is a private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was established in 1887 by a group of Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalists ...

as an

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education, usually in a college or university. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, ...

, and attended the journalism school at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

on a scholarship. After graduation from college, Friedersdorf worked for the ''

Inland Valley Daily Bulletin The ''Inland Valley Daily Bulletin'' is a daily newspaper based in Ontario, California, serving the Pomona Valley and southwest San Bernardino County. The ''Daily Bulletin'' is a member of the Southern California News Group (formerly the Los Ang ...

''. He began writing for ''The Atlantic'' in November 2009. He was an intern for ''The Daily Dish'' blog, and in 2010 was hired as senior editor and "underblogger" to Andrew Sullivan. Friedersdorf compiles on a regular basis ''The Best of Journalism'' list, which is a curated list of news articles and investigative report, that he disseminates through a newsletter.

Views

In an interview with journalist Matt Lewis, Friedersdorf stated that he has right-leaning views, but that he does not consider himself to be a doctrinal

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

, nor a member of the conservative movement. Writing for ''The Atlantic'', Friedersdorf said that he refused to vote for

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

in 2012 and was supporting

Gary Johnson Gary Earl Johnson (born January 1, 1953) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 29th List of governors of New Mexico, governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003 as a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republica ...

in his bid for president as the Libertarian Party candidate. Friedersdorf has written articles calling for the abolition of

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE; ) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the Un ...

and for protecting the right to protest on the

Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; ) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. The copper-clad statue, a gift to the United States from the people of French Thir ...

. Friedersdorf has praised

Peggy McIntosh Peggy McIntosh (born November 7, 1934) is an American feminism, feminist, anti-racism activist, speaker, and senior research scientist of the Wellesley Centers for Women. She is the founder of the National SEED Project on Inclusive Curriculum ( ...

's essay " White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack", saying he would encourage its study in college curriculums.

Personal life

Friedersdorf grew up in

Orange County, California Orange County (officially the County of Orange; often initialized O.C.) is a county (United States), county located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population ...

. , he lives in

Venice, Los Angeles Venice is a neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles within the Westside region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Venice was founded by Abbot Kinney in 1905 as a seaside resort town. It was an independent city until 1926, whe ...

. Two of his grandparents were French

Cajuns The Cajuns (; Louisiana French language, French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French people, Louisiana French ethnic group, ethnicity mainly found in t ...

References

External links

Conor Friedersdorf
at ''

'' * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Friedersdorf, Conor 21st-century American journalists American libertarians American male journalists American people of Acadian descent American political commentators American political writers Journalists from California Living people New York University alumni Pomona College alumni The Atlantic (magazine) people Writers from Orange County, California Year of birth missing (living people) People from Venice, Los Angeles