New Republic hires tech columnist

The New Republic announced Friday that it has hired Paul Ford as a contributing editor.

Ford, a technology consultant, computer programmer, and former NPR commentator was unmasked in 2005 as the fictional musician Gary Benchley, whose ironic dispatches for The Morning News chronicled a rocker hopeful’s quest for greatness.

At The New Republic, Ford will write a monthly column focused on technology and “Big Data.” Ford was previously the first web editor of Harper’s Magazine, where in 2007, he built the magazine’s 160-year article archive. Ford drew from the archival model he developed for his own website, Ftrain.com, which he founded in 1997.

“I didn’t know if The New Republic was ready for the full force of my nerdery. But they told me to BRING IT,” Ford said in a statement. “This will be fun.”

Since 2010, Ford has served as a director of Activate, a media and technology strategic consulting firm. He also teaches in the Interaction Design program at the School of Visual Arts in New York. His essays and features have been published in the New York Times Magazine, Bloomberg Businessweek and other publications. He is writing a book about web pages for Farrar, Strauss & Giroux.

“Paul brings a deep knowledge of tech and design. His unique voice and perspective makes him an exciting addition to our team.” Editor-in-Chief Gabriel Snyder said.

Ford’s first column appears in the June issue, and will address a hidden social network on Spotify.