A summer of putting ‘big picture, local focus’ to the test

A driving point of the Daily Herald’s news mission is found in the phrase we commonly use “big picture, local focus.” We have had some high-profile opportunities to put the motto into practice this summer.

In our everyday report, we always aim to provide a thorough report on the major world and national news of the day, to assure that you can feel well-read about the most important topics facing us on a grand scale, even if we don’t drill down to the level of detail you would find in a large national publication like the New York Times or Wall Street Journal. But we complement our foundational world and national report with an examination of what’s happening in the suburbs you can get nowhere else — and when major news occurs, we take pains to show its impact on the suburbs and the connections suburban individuals and institutions have to it.

So, when the eyes of the world were focused on the Paris Summer Olympics, we didn’t just bring you the sensational reports about well-known figures like Katie Ladecky or Simone Biles; we also kept you abreast of the accomplishments of Stevenson High School graduate Paul Juda in men’s gymnastics, Mount Prospect native Erin Reese’s hammer throw accomplishments in track and field, Lake Park High School grad Zach Ziemen’s performance in this third Olympics decathlon and the efforts of other athletes with suburban roots who competed in cycling, soccer and volleyball.

And, the presentation of both major political parties’ election conventions within easy driving range of the suburbs — the Republicans in Milwaukee last month, the Democrats in Chicago this week — not only have given national politics a local feel geographically but also have emphasized the importance to suburban readers of seeing how their local delegates and elected officials participated. On that mission, our senior writer Marni Pyke took on the daunting task of leading teams of reporters and photographers in establishing and executing a coverage plan intended to go beyond merely presenting the highlights of the convention programs, which wire services cover thoroughly, to show the role that people from the suburbs play on the national stage.

Some of their results? Scenes from Illinois Republican Party Chairwoman Kathy Salvi greeting the party’s delegates in Milwaukee. The scolding of Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz by suburban delegate Richard Porter that went viral online and got national attention. An accounting of Illinois politicians getting spotlight appearances on the Democratic stage. Shout-outs to Mount Prospect and DuPage County by celebrities Stephen Colbert and Sean Hayes and much, much more.

It’s important to note, too, that special efforts were made in the planning and execution of our presentation to give equal attention to both parties’ conventions. Our goal has been to provide insights and atmosphere, not to favor one side’s program over the other. Even so, during each convention itself, it may sometimes appear as though the party in the limelight is getting preferential treatment, but that’s almost unavoidable when clearly the point of each individual convention is to tout that party’s message.

In that context, it was somewhat interesting to note that, among many similarities, “hope” was a key message in headlines from both conventions. The degree to which you came away with hope for the future, likely depends a lot on your personal convictions. Whatever those are, we’ve striven to help you see — in sports as well as politics — that big events of the world often aren’t all that distant from our own towns and neighborhoods.

In other words, big picture, local focus — and sometimes both intermingled.

• Jim Slusher, jslusher@dailyherald.com, is managing editor for opinion at the Daily Herald. Follow him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jim.slusher1 and on X at @JimSlusher. His new book “To Nudge The World: Conversations, community and the role of local news” is available at eckhartzpress.com.