A slighter edition of Chicago Public Square today. Back to full strength Monday.
A poem. Pulitzer-winning columnist Mary Schmich* channels convicted felon Donald Trump in verse, including this couplet:
I’m simply giving warning of the enemy withinBy which I mean each person who does not think I should win.
■ Washington Post sarcast Alexandra Petri: “All the people who said he was a dangerous fascist who they were tired of trying to stop don’t even work for him anymore—so, if anything, the fascist thing was just a problem then.”
■ Politico envisions The Future …
■ … if Trump wins …
■ … or if Vice President Harris wins.
A fix. A reader whom we’ll identify only by her first name, “Mary Jo,” encountered a problem consulting the Chicago Board of Elections website before voting: “I am a registered voter. I put in my particulars, and it indicated that either a) I needed to register or b) My info was incorrect. I checked and rechecked, and it was correct and it matched my mailings from the Chicago Board of Elections. What gives?”
■ Elections board public information director Max Bever explains: “We include this language on the webpage: Please enter your first and last name (no middle name). … A voter may not know that their name got recorded as a middle name by looking at the voter registration card alone. … We are working to improve functionality by recognizing voter names in different formats for the future.”
■ In this case, simply entering “Mary” as a first name and skipping “Jo” did the trick.
■ Ready to cast a ballot this weekend? Find your early voting spot anywhere in Illinois …
■ … but first check the Square Guide Guide.
A quiz. To mark the 10th anniversary of The Conversation—a nonprofit, independent news organization dedicated to unlocking experts’ knowledge for the public good—quizmaster and past Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions winner Fritz Holznagel has assembled a 12-question extravaganza drawn from “our 100 all-time most-read stories.”
■ Pitching in as little as $1, once, to support Square gets you $5 off a hoodie or T-shirt …
■ … or get a shirt free if you make it $25/month—about $1 an issue.
■ Here’s Fritz eight years ago talking about his Jeopardy! experiences.
An invitation. You’re welcome to a service at Chicago’s Third Unitarian Church, 11:30 a.m. Sunday, when your Square columnist will take questions about “Journalism and the American Crisis.”
■ Or watch online in your pajamas here.
■ Men Yell at Me’s Lyz Lenz’s Dingus of the Week: Los Angeles Times publisher Patrick Soon-Shiong, who blocked an editorial board endorsement of Kamala Harris.
■ A phrase that CNN’s Brian Stelter says captures the moment at the Times and other corporate media in a time of pending authoritarianism: “Anticipatory obedience.”
■ Press Watch proprietor Dan Froomkin issues an open letter to TV network news anchors Lester Holt, David Muir and Norah O’Donnell: “Time for a ‘Cronkite moment.’”
A nod would be better than a wink. Chicago Public Square requests your support in the Reader’s Best of Chicago poll.
* Here she is interviewed a decade ago about her life in journalism.