Matt Katz

For the keyboardist for Blondie, see Matt Katz-Bohen.

Matt Katz (born July 4, 1978) [1] is an American journalist.

Career and works

Katz works for WNYC and New Jersey Public Radio, and has written for Politico, The New York Times, The Washington Post and The New Republic. He was previously a reporter at The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Courier-Post and the Daily Record.[2][3] He is known for his coverage of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.[3][2] He ran The Christie Tracker for New Jersey Public Radio.[4][5]

Katz was a member of a WNYC team that won a 2015 Peabody Award for its series on Governor Christie entitled, "Chris Christie, White House Ambitions and the Abuse of Power."[2] He won the Livingston Award for International Reporting for a series on reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan.[4][6]

Katz is the author of American Governor: Chris Christie's Bridge to Redemption, a political profile of Chris Christie published on January 19, 2016 by Simon & Schuster.[7][2][8][9]

In 2022, Katz won the October Sidney Award for obtaining and publishing never-before-seen images of the squalid and lethal conditions at Rikers Island. The story was published on WNYC and its sister digital outlet, Gothamist.[10]

Prior to becoming a political journalist, Katz was known as South Jersey's Carrie Bradshaw when he wrote a dating advice column.[11]

He is Jewish and asserts that he suffered anti-semitic harassment as a result of reporting critically on U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump.[12]

In 2024, Matt Katz wrote and hosted an eight-episode podcast series, Inconceivable Truth, about his search for his biological father and his investigation into the unusual way in which he was conceived in 1970s Manhattan. The Irish Times called Katz a "crackling storyteller".[13] Vogue named it one of the "best podcasts of 2024 so far".[14]

Background and education

Katz is the son of Roberta and Richard Katz of Roslyn, New York. He married Deborah Anne Hurwitz in 2008.[15]

Katz has an undergraduate degree in Political Communication from George Washington University. He is member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity.[16]

References

  1. ^ David, Furst. "This Week in Politics: A Transportation Flap for Christie, Again". wnyc.org. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d Lavin, Enrique (19 August 2015). "A special live event: Tom Moran & friends dissect Christie's impact on N.J." The Star-Ledger. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  3. ^ a b Trethan, Phaedra (31 December 2015). "You say you want a resolution? A few suggestions". Courier-Post. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  4. ^ a b "Matt Katz; employee bio". New Jersey Public Radio. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  5. ^ "WNYC Hires "The Christie Chronicles" Blogger Matt Katz". WNYC. 17 October 2013. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  6. ^ "The Inquirer's Matt Katz wins the Livingston Award for international reporting". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 8 June 2011. Archived from the original on September 22, 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  7. ^ Alfaro, Alyana (28 December 2015). "Book Review: Matt Katz's 'American Governor'". PolitikerNJ. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  8. ^ SHERRYL CONNELLY (17 January 2016). "Chris Christie's hunger for power revealed in new book". NY Daily News.
  9. ^ "Who Is Chris Christie?". WNYC.
  10. ^ "Matt Katz wins October Sidney for Obtaining Never-Before-Seen Images of Rikers". Hillman Foundation. 2022-10-12. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  11. ^ "Reporter Matt Katz figured the best way to get a girl was to start a dating column-www.njmonthly.com". 21 December 2007. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  12. ^ Katz, Matt (28 June 2016). "Trump-Inspired Anti-Semitism Prompts Fear, Police Reports...and a Gun Purchase". WNYC News. New York Public Radio. Retrieved 10 May 2017. For me, it took just a few days of reporting on Trump before I was called a 'Kike.' Then, my name was posted inside triple parentheses.
  13. ^ "How Matt Katz discovered his Irish family – and learned about Irish nights out – is a gripping story". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
  14. ^ Schama, Chloe (2024-07-30). "The Best Podcasts of 2024 So Far". Vogue. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
  15. ^ "Deborah Hurwitz, Matt Katz". The New York Times. 31 August 2008. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  16. ^ "Deborah Hurwitz, Matt Katz - Weddings and Celebrations". The New York Times. 29 August 2008. Retrieved 15 May 2017 – via NYTimes.com.