Guy Pelham Benson (born March 7, 1985) is an American columnist, commentator, and political
pundit
A pundit is a person who offers mass media opinion or commentary on a particular subject area (most typically politics, the social sciences, technology or sport).
Origins
The term originates from the Sanskrit term ('' '' ), meaning "knowledg ...
. He is a contributor to
Fox News
The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is o ...
, political editor of
Townhall.com
Townhall is an American politically conservative website, print magazine and radio news service. Previously published by The Heritage Foundation, it is now owned and operated by Salem Communications. The website features more than 80 columns (b ...
, and a conservative talk radio host. Benson served as a Fellow at the
Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service
The Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service is an academic center at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., dedicated to the study of regional and national politics. It is housed within the McCourt School of Public Policy and was ...
during the spring 2021 academic semester.
Education
Born in Saudi Arabia, Benson lived much of his early life overseas, then grew up in
Ridgewood, New Jersey
Ridgewood is a village in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 24,958,Ridgewood High School. During high school, he was known for broadcasting sports on local television. While working toward his
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to si ...
at
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
, Benson worked for the campus radio station,
WNUR
WNUR-FM (89.3 FM) is a 7,200–watt radio station based in Evanston, Illinois that broadcasts to Chicago and its northern suburbs. It is the student radio station of Northwestern University.
History
WNUR first began broadcasting on May 8, ...
, broadcasting sporting events and hosting a political talk show. He also interned for two summers at
Fox News
The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is o ...
, working primarily with ''
Hannity & Colmes
''Hannity & Colmes'' was a live television show on Fox News in the United States, hosted by Sean Hannity and Alan Colmes, who respectively presented a conservative and liberal perspective. The series premiered on October 7, 1996, and the final e ...
,'' before assisting the channel with its coverage of the
2004 Republican National Convention
The 2004 Republican National Convention took place from August 30 to September 2, 2004 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The convention is one of a series of historic quadrennial meetings at which the Republican candidates fo ...
. Benson also reported for an
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
station in
South Florida
South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of ...
, broadcast summer baseball games in the
Cape Cod Baseball League
The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...
, and interned at the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...
.
Career
After graduating with honors from the
Medill School of Journalism
The Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications is a constituent school of Northwestern University that offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. It frequently ranks as the top school of journalism in the Unite ...
at
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
in 2007, Benson served as the producer of ''The Sandy Rios Show'', then a local afternoon radio show with
Christian Right
The Christian right, or the religious right, are Christian political factions characterized by their strong support of socially conservative and traditionalist policies. Christian conservatives seek to influence politics and public policy with ...
commentator
Sandy Rios
Sandy Rios is an American Family Association member, governmental affairs director, a Fox News Channel contributor, and a talk radio host.
She is chairman of the North Korean Freedom Coalition, a coalition that advocates for the citizens of ...
on WYLL-AM in Chicago, before Rios moved to Washington D.C. in July 2010 to host ''Sandy Rios in the Morning on AFR TALK'' on
American Family Radio
American Family Radio (AFR) is a network of more than 180 radio stations broadcasting Conservative Christian-oriented programming to over 30 states.
. From to 2008 to 2015, Benson also hosted his own Sunday night radio program, ''The Guy Benson Show,'' on AM 560 WIND in Chicago and AM 1260
WWRC
WWRC (570 AM) – branded ''AM 570 The Answer'' – is a commercial conservative talk radio station licensed to serve Bethesda, Maryland. Owned by the Salem Media Group, the station services the Washington metro area and is the market affiliat ...
in Washington, D.C.
In 2010, Benson became political editor at Townhall.com, where his columns had been published since February 2008.
Benson also contributes to Townhall's sister site,
Hot Air
''Hot Air'' is a conservative American political blog. It is written by the pseudonymous Allahpundit, Ed Morrissey, John Sexton, and Jazz Shaw.
Hot Air was founded by Michelle Malkin, a conservative author and blogger, in 2006, taking over '' ...
. He previously wrote at
Andrew Breitbart
Andrew James Breitbart (; February 1, 1969 – March 1, 2012) was an American conservative journalist, and political commentator who was the founder of ''Breitbart News'' and a co-founder of '' HuffPost''.
After helping in the early stages of ' ...
's "Big" sites and
National Review Online
''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by the author William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief ...
's Media Blog. In addition to serving as a regular guest and substitute host on ''The Hugh Hewitt Show'', Benson is a frequent guest on cable news networks, including
Fox News
The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is o ...
and
CNBC
CNBC (formerly Consumer News and Business Channel) is an American basic cable business news channel. It provides business news programming on weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time, while broadcasting talk s ...
. In May 2015, together with coauthor
Mary Katharine Ham
Mary Katharine Ham (born April 5, 1980) is an American journalist. She is a contributing editor for Townhall Magazine, a writer at ''The Federalist'', and a CNN contributor. She previously worked as a Fox News contributor and an editor-at-larg ...
, Benson published his first non-fiction book ''End of Discussion: How the Left's Outrage Industry Shuts Down Debate, Manipulates Voters, and Makes America Less Free (and Fun)'', a critique of political correctness in politics, media and culture from the point of view of two
Millennial
Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the Western world, Western demography, demographic Cohort (statistics), cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as start ...
conservatives.
In April 2008 Benson discovered video from a 2007 reunion of the Weathermen, a radical left-wing group from the 1960s and 70s. The footage included quotes from two members,
Bill Ayers
William Charles Ayers (; born December 26, 1944) rose to prominence during the 1960s as a domestic terrorist.
During the 1960s, Ayers was a leader of the Weather Underground militant group, described by the FBI as a terrorist group.
In ...
and
Bernardine Dohrn
Bernardine Rae Dohrn (née Ohrnstein; born January 12, 1942) is a retired law professor and a former leader of the left-wing radical group Weather Underground in the United States. As a leader of the Weather Underground in the early 1970s, Dohrn ...
, defending their actions. Since
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...
was criticized during the 2008 presidential campaign for associating with Ayers and Dohrn, the clips made national news, from the ''
Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Gl ...
'' to Fox News. Benson garnered national attention during the 2008 presidential race on two other occasions. In August, after the Obama campaign attacked WGN radio in Chicago for allowing Stanley Kurtz to appear on their station, Benson—who was in studio during the interview—detailed his experience. Then, two weeks before
Election Day
Election day or polling day is the day on which general elections are held. In many countries, general elections are always held on a Saturday or Sunday, to enable as many voters as possible to participate; while in other countries elections ...
, Benson joined with
Mary Katharine Ham
Mary Katharine Ham (born April 5, 1980) is an American journalist. She is a contributing editor for Townhall Magazine, a writer at ''The Federalist'', and a CNN contributor. She previously worked as a Fox News contributor and an editor-at-larg ...
and
Ed Morrissey
Edward Morrissey (born April 3, 1963) is an American conservative blogger, columnist, motivational speaker, and talk show host.Ed Morrissey Premiere Motivational Speakers. Published 2008. Accessed May 2, 2009.
He goes by the nickname Captain Ed a ...
to pen "The Comprehensive Argument Against Barack Obama," released on
Hot Air
''Hot Air'' is a conservative American political blog. It is written by the pseudonymous Allahpundit, Ed Morrissey, John Sexton, and Jazz Shaw.
Hot Air was founded by Michelle Malkin, a conservative author and blogger, in 2006, taking over '' ...
.
Personal life
Benson's brother is actor, writer, and director James Benson. Guy Benson came out as gay in May 2015 by announcing in advance of publication that his new book, ''End of Discussion'', would include a footnote: "Guy here. So, I'm gay." Benson told an interviewer that "gay rights is not something that dominates my attentions—or my passions."
In September 2019, Benson married Adam Wise.