Eric Zorn
Encyclopedia
Eric Zorn, born January 6, 1958, is a columnist
and a blogger for the Chicago Tribune
.
Zorn is a 1980 graduate of the University of Michigan
, where he was an arts section editor at the Michigan Daily
and a creative writing/English literature major. After he had served a four-month internship at the Miami Herald, he came to work at the Chicago Tribune from 1980 forward. After five years as a feature author and TV/radio columnist in the Tempo portion of the paper, he went to the metro news section. In 1986 he became a news-feature columnist. His column, Hometowns, developed gradually into his eponymous news commentary column.
He is a co-author of the 1990 book, Murder of Innocence, a study of the life and tragic rampage of Winnetka
schoolhouse killer Laurie Dann
.
Zorn and fellow Chicago Tribune metro columnist Mary Schmich
occasionally write a week of columns that consist of a back-and-forth exchange of letters. An amateur folk musician, each December Zorn joins with Schmich to host "Songs of Good Cheer," holiday caroling parties at the Old Town School of Folk Music
to raise money for the Tribune Holiday Fund charities.
In August, 2003, he started "Change of Subject," the first blog at the Chicago Tribune website. http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2003/08/index.html
In August, 2010, he and Tribune political cartoonist Scott Stantis started "The Prickly Pair," the first weekly podcast offered by Chicagotribune.com. They discontinued that podcast in February, 2011. http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/prickly-pair-podcasts/
, is founder and executive director of the Third Coast International Audio Festival
on Chicago Public Radio
. They have three children: Alex (1989) and twins Annalise and Ben (1997). His son Alex was a star mathematics student and USAMO qualifier while at Walter Payton College Prep
. He enrolled in the University of Chicago, class of 2012
Zorn is the grandson of mathematician Max Zorn
and of noted Indiana historian John D. Barnhart. http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2005/12/in_memory_of_a_.html
His parents teach at the University of Michigan—Jens C. Zorn in physics (retired in 2007), and Frances B. Zorn in medical careers.
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
and a blogger for the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
.
Zorn is a 1980 graduate of the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, where he was an arts section editor at the Michigan Daily
Michigan Daily
The Michigan Daily is the daily student newspaper of the University of Michigan. Its first edition was published on September 29, 1890. The newspaper is financially and editorially independent of the University's administration and other student groups, but shares a university building with other...
and a creative writing/English literature major. After he had served a four-month internship at the Miami Herald, he came to work at the Chicago Tribune from 1980 forward. After five years as a feature author and TV/radio columnist in the Tempo portion of the paper, he went to the metro news section. In 1986 he became a news-feature columnist. His column, Hometowns, developed gradually into his eponymous news commentary column.
He is a co-author of the 1990 book, Murder of Innocence, a study of the life and tragic rampage of Winnetka
Winnetka, Illinois
Winnetka is an affluent North Shore village located approximately north of downtown Chicago in Cook County, Illinois. Winnetka was featured on the list of America's 25 top-earning towns and "one of the best places to live" by CNN Money in 2011...
schoolhouse killer Laurie Dann
Laurie Dann
Laurie Dann was an American murderer who shot and killed a boy, and wounded two girls and three boys, in a Winnetka, Illinois, elementary school, then took a family hostage and shot a man before killing herself.-Early life:Dann was born into a Jewish family in Chicago and grew up in Glencoe, an...
.
Zorn and fellow Chicago Tribune metro columnist Mary Schmich
Mary Schmich
Mary Theresa Schmich is a columnist for the Chicago Tribune.Born in Savannah, Georgia, the oldest of eight children, Schmich grew up in Georgia, attended high school in Phoenix, Arizona, and earned a B.A...
occasionally write a week of columns that consist of a back-and-forth exchange of letters. An amateur folk musician, each December Zorn joins with Schmich to host "Songs of Good Cheer," holiday caroling parties at the Old Town School of Folk Music
Old Town School of Folk Music
The Old Town School of Folk Music is a Chicago teaching and performing institution that launched the careers of many notable folk music artists...
to raise money for the Tribune Holiday Fund charities.
In August, 2003, he started "Change of Subject," the first blog at the Chicago Tribune website. http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2003/08/index.html
In August, 2010, he and Tribune political cartoonist Scott Stantis started "The Prickly Pair," the first weekly podcast offered by Chicagotribune.com. They discontinued that podcast in February, 2011. http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/prickly-pair-podcasts/
Family
Eric Zorn's wife, Johanna ZornJohanna Zorn
Johanna Zorn is the founder and executive director of the Third Coast International Audio Festival, a Chicago Public Radio program supports artists creating audio documentary and feature work of all styles and brings their work to audiences throughout the world...
, is founder and executive director of the Third Coast International Audio Festival
Third Coast International Audio Festival
The Third Coast International Audio Festival is a festival based in Chicago showcasing feature and documentary audio work...
on Chicago Public Radio
Chicago Public Radio
WBEZ is a noncommercial, public radio station broadcasting from Chicago, Illinois. Financed primarily by listener contributions, the station is affiliated with both National Public Radio and Public Radio International; they also broadcast content from American Public Media...
. They have three children: Alex (1989) and twins Annalise and Ben (1997). His son Alex was a star mathematics student and USAMO qualifier while at Walter Payton College Prep
Walter Payton College Prep
Walter Payton College Preparatory High School is a selective enrollment public high school in Chicago, Illinois.- History :Walter Payton College Prep, founded in 2000, is part of the Chicago Public Schools system. The school, which is located on Chicago's near north side, is notably one of the...
. He enrolled in the University of Chicago, class of 2012
Zorn is the grandson of mathematician Max Zorn
Max August Zorn
Max August Zorn was a German-born American mathematician. He was an algebraist, group theorist, and numerical analyst. He is best known for Zorn's lemma, a powerful tool in set theory that is applicable to a wide range of mathematical constructs such as vector spaces, ordered sets, etc...
and of noted Indiana historian John D. Barnhart. http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2005/12/in_memory_of_a_.html
His parents teach at the University of Michigan—Jens C. Zorn in physics (retired in 2007), and Frances B. Zorn in medical careers.
Columns of note
In his column and later in his blog, Zorn has been an early advocate of a few ideas that later caught on and/or attracted notice:- He may have been the first to advocate the "forever stamp" for U.S. postage in a column in December 1994.
- He was an early promoter of the laser measuring system for first downs in footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and laser ball/strike detection in baseballBaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
.
- In May 2006, he wrote a column coining "Zorn's Law", stating that, in any debate, the first person to hurl the insult, "get a life!" is the loser. In actions he later admitted to be "whims and stunts", he promoted the "law" on the online encyclopedia WikipediaWikipediaWikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
as if already well known; in a July 2006 followup article, he concluded that Wikipedia's editing process basically works.
External links
- Eric Zorn biography
- Change of Subject weblog - includes Zorn's columns as published in the ink-on-paper Chicago Tribune