Ari Melber

@arimelber

Ari Melber is The Nation's Net movement correspondent, covering politics, law, public policy and new media, and a regular contributor to the magazine's blog. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and a J.D. from Cornell Law School, where he was an editor of the Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy.

Contact Ari: on Facebook, on Twitter, and at [email protected].

Melber is also an attorney, a columnist for Politico and a contributing editor at techPresident, a nonpartisan website covering technology’s impact on democracy. During the 2008 general election, he traveled with the Obama Campaign on special assignment for The Washington Independent.

He previously served as a Legislative Aide in the US Senate and as a national staff member of the 2004 John Kerry Presidential Campaign.

As a commentator on public affairs, Melber frequently speaks on national television and radio, including including appearances on NBC, CNBC, CNN, CNN Headline News, C-SPAN, MSNBC, Bloomberg News, FOX News, and NPR, on programs such as “The Today Show,” “American Morning,” “Washington Journal,” “Power Lunch,” "The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell," "The Joy Behar Show," “The Dylan Ratigan Show,” and “The Daily Rundown,” among others. Melber has also been a featured speaker at Harvard, Oxford, Yale, Columbia, NYU, The Center for American Progress and many other institutions. He has contributed chapters or essays to the books “America Now,” (St. Martins, 2009), “At Issue: Affirmative Action,” (Cengage, 2009), and “MoveOn’s 50 Ways to Love Your Country,” (Inner Ocean Publishing, 2004).  His reporting  has been cited by a wide range of news organizations, academic journals and nonfiction books, including the The Washington Post, The New York Times, ABC News, NBC News, CNN, FOX News, National Review Online, The New England Journal of Medicine and Boston University Law Review.  He is a member of the American Constitution Society, he serves on the advisory board of the Roosevelt Institute and lives in Manhattan.

 

Our Long Hot Summer of (Faux) Racial Tension Our Long Hot Summer of (Faux) Racial Tension

Unlike during other periods of race-based strife in this country, this summer, there is no action. There is only media.

Aug 2, 2010 / Ari Melber

Discharged Gay Veteran Confronts Reid at Blogger Summit Discharged Gay Veteran Confronts Reid at Blogger Summit

President Obama and Senator Harry Reid address bloggers at Netroots Nation, encountering frustration with progressive pledges delayed or denied.

Jul 25, 2010 / Ari Melber

White and Black Liberals Have ‘The Talk’ at Netroots Conference White and Black Liberals Have ‘The Talk’ at Netroots Conference

The Shirley Sherrod imbroglio reverberates in Las Vegas, where a diverse group of progressive activists kicked off their fifth annual netroots conference.

Jul 23, 2010 / Ari Melber

For Palin’s Facebook Friends, It’s Complicated For Palin’s Facebook Friends, It’s Complicated

Some of Sarah Palin's Facebook "friends" just aren't that into her.

Jul 16, 2010 / Ari Melber

Sarah Palin, Paper Grizzly

Sarah Palin, Paper Grizzly Sarah Palin, Paper Grizzly

Even after all the "lamestream media" coverage, new data shows Sarah Palin's "Mama Grizzlies" video was largely ignored by her supporters and watched mostly by ...

Jul 14, 2010 / Ari Melber

Ex-WashPo Blogger Wrong About Why He Was Wrong Ex-WashPo Blogger Wrong About Why He Was Wrong

After leaving the Washington Post on Friday and joining MSNBC Monday, former Post blogger Dave Weigel oddly repeats his critics' line that his mistakes were about objectivity. But ...

Jun 29, 2010 / Ari Melber

Knocking Kagan’s Experience, GOP Attack May Backfire

Knocking Kagan’s Experience, GOP Attack May Backfire Knocking Kagan’s Experience, GOP Attack May Backfire

As the GOP criticizes Kagan for failing to hold a job they prevented her from taking, why won't Obama address the hypocrisy—or the sexist math confronting female judicial nom...

Jun 27, 2010 / Ari Melber

Where Maddow and Krauthammer Meet on Obama’s BP Response Where Maddow and Krauthammer Meet on Obama’s BP Response

While many commentators missed the point, there actually were some substantive problems with Obama's BP speech, too.

Jun 18, 2010 / Ari Melber

After Obama, Gibbs Bats Cleanup in Virtual Press Conference

After Obama, Gibbs Bats Cleanup in Virtual Press Conference After Obama, Gibbs Bats Cleanup in Virtual Press Conference

Robert Gibbs let about 14,000 extra people into the White House press room after the president's address to the nation on BP.

Jun 16, 2010 / Ari Melber

The Solution to Obama’s BP Press Problem

The Solution to Obama’s BP Press Problem The Solution to Obama’s BP Press Problem

Obama's media strategy is catching up with him.

Jun 14, 2010 / Ari Melber

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