Jim Slusher
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Ted Turner and the cost of all that immediacy has wroughtMay 07, 2026 4:00 am - Columnist Jim Slusher: With broadcast media, Ted Turner demonstrated the appeal of programming that could latch onto news stories as they broke. But it’s also hard to avoid seeing how the concept has been somewhat turned on its head - or perhaps “dropped” is a more apt description - by time and by the internet and social media.
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How a coin-convention press release led to a riveting whodunitApr 30, 2026 4:00 am - Columnist Jim Slusher: When writers manage to blend all the main styles of writing into a single story, it can be especially gratifying. Riveting even.
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‘Any bit helps’: Why volunteers will save the worldApr 23, 2026 9:02 am - I started today’s column thinking about Earth Day — or, if you prefer, Earth Month, as April is known. I considered collecting some of the most prominent among numerous e...
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Beyond ho-hum: Finding excitement in today’s space advancesApr 09, 2026 4:00 am - Columnist Jim Slusher: I don’t like to constantly revisit “the olden days” of my youth as if they were some halcyon time of simpler pleasures and more meaningful excitements. But there are times when comparisons just can’t be avoided.
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What grows when zealousness and tolerance coexistApr 01, 2026 4:00 am - Editor’s Note: Columnist Jim Slusher is taking some time off. Today’s column is a reprise of his comments on Feb. 20, 2014. A democratic society thrives on tolerance...
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Pandora, Chicken Little and messages for today’s worldMar 27, 2026 4:00 am - Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias conducted a press conference Wednesday that is frightening enough on its own. Its broader implications are an even greater c...
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Exploring the ‘realm of nearly’ on the road to NovemberMar 19, 2026 12:50 pm - Columnist Jim Slusher: I hope you will reflect on what the primary elections have shown us about the role of political messaging and the means of its delivery in the selection of candidates. On that theme, I have some preliminary observations.
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Unexpected lessons we can learn from election coverageMar 12, 2026 4:00 am - Columnist Jim Slusher: The most important goal of election coverage, of course, is to help you understand the candidates and what they stand for. But as you follow the stories, you may be surprised at how much you are learning about our system and human nature itself.
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Getting beyond the hair’s breadth in political distortionMar 05, 2026 4:00 am - Columnist Jim Slusher: As a rule, I discourage outright cynicism when analyzing the news, but there is one venue where that approach may necessary. Political advertising.
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A process for helping you vote better, whatever your choiceFeb 12, 2026 4:00 am - This Sunday, the Daily Herald will begin another cycle in an activity that has long been a staple of the newspaper’s election efforts, endorsements in contested elections...