Eric Zorn , born January 6, 1958, is a former op-ed columnist and daily blogger for the Chicago Tribune.
He is a 1980 graduate of the University of Michigan, where he majored in English literature and creative writing while serving as a section editor for the Michigan Daily student newspaper.
He worked a summer internship at the Miami Herald in 1979 and was hired as an intern at the Chicago Tribune in 1980. He was hired at the end of the summer and became a columnist in 1986. He co-wrote the 1990 book “Murder of Innocence,” in 1989, and, starting in 2003, he penned “Change of Subject,” the Tribune’s first general interest blog.
When Alden Global Capital took control of the Chicago Tribune in the spring of 2021, Zorn was among the many columnists and other journalists who accepted a buyout offer from the company. His final column appeared on June 27, 2021. In September of that year he began writing The Picayune Sentinel, a newsletter named after the newsletter once published by his grandfather, noted mathematician Max Zorn.
Zorn is an avowed liberal and has stated, “I’m a Democrat because I think man-made climate change is real, that it’s vile to discriminate against people because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, that access to quality health care should be a right, that the death penalty should be abolished, that income inequality should be diminished and that we shouldn’t privatize public education. I’m a Democrat because I believe it should be hard to buy a gun—especially if you’re on a law-enforcement watch list—and that every firearm should be registered, licensed and easily tracked … organized labor and ‘big government’ interventions are needed to smooth out the roller-coaster ride of free-market capitalism.”
He has been married since 1985 to audio editor and producer Johanna Wolken Zorn, the co-founder of the Third Coast International Audio Festival. They live on Chicago’s Northwest Side and have three adult children.
His main hobby is playing old time traditional fiddle music and singing old country and gospel songs. He also calls square dances, plays golf and basketball and runs (slowly).
His email address is ericzorn@gmail.com.
Social media
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ejzorn
- Twitter: https://x.com/EricZorn
- Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ericzorn.bsky.social
- Threads: https://www.threads.net/@ejzorn
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ejzorn/
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ericzorn5
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