Jacob Z. Sullum (born September 5, 1965) is a syndicated newspaper

columnist A columnist is a person who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Column (periodical), Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs. They take the ...

with

Creators Syndicate Creators Syndicate (also known as Creators) is an American independent distributor of comic strips and syndicated columns to daily newspapers, websites, and other digital outlets. When founded in 1987, Creators Syndicate became one of the few suc ...

and a senior editor at ''

Reason Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing valid conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, religion, scien ...

'' magazine. He focuses most of his writings on shrinking the realm of politics and expanding individual choice. He was interviewed in the 2004 documentary ''

Super Size Me ''Super Size Me'' is a 2004 American documentary film directed by and starring Morgan Spurlock, an American independent filmmaker. Spurlock's film follows a 30-day period from February 1 to March 2, 2003, during which he claimed to consume o ...

''. Sullum is a native of

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Wilkes-Barre ( , alternatively or ) is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. It ...

Career

Sullum writes a weekly column distributed nationally. He has contributed essays to ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'', ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'', ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'', the ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...

'', '' Cigar Aficionado'', and ''

National Review ''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief is Rich L ...

'', among many others. Sullum has been a frequent guest on many TV and radio programs. He has appeared on

Fox News Channel The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American multinational conservative news and political commentary television channel and website based in New York City, U.S. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is ow ...

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

, ''

The O'Reilly Factor ''The O'Reilly Factor'' (originally titled ''The O'Reilly Report'' and also known as ''The Factor'') is an American cable television news and talk show. ''The O'Reilly Factor'' first aired in the United States on Fox News Channel on October 7 ...

'', ''Hardball'', '' Paula Zahn Now'', ''

The Charlie Rose Show ''Charlie Rose'' (also known as ''The Charlie Rose Show'') is an American television interview and talk show, with Charlie Rose as executive producer, executive editor, and host. The show was syndicated on PBS from 1991 until 2017 and is owne ...

'', and

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

while also speaking at the International Conference on Drug Policy Reform and the Conference on Computers, Freedom, and Privacy. When Sullum first joined ''Reason'' in 1989, he was an assistant editor. He eventually worked his way up to becoming an associate editor and managing editor. He previously worked as an editor for ''

'' and a reporter for the ''News and Courier/Evening Post'' in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

Personal

Sullum obtained his degree from

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

, where he majored in economics and psychology. During his time in schools, he was an editor and columnist for ''The Cornell Daily Sun''. He is a fellow of the Knight Center for Specialized Journalism. Sullum is married and together they have three daughters and two dogs. The family resides in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

Views

Sullum is for a

non-interventionist Non-interventionism or non-intervention is commonly understood as "a foreign policy of political or military non-involvement in foreign relations or in other countries' internal affairs". This is based on the grounds that a state should not inter ...

foreign policy and has defended then-presidential candidate

Ron Paul Ronald Ernest Paul (born August 20, 1935) is an American author, activist, and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1976 to 1977, and again from 1979 to 1985, as well as for Texas' ...

stating that it is inaccurate to call him an

isolationist Isolationism is a term used to refer to a political philosophy advocating a foreign policy that opposes involvement in the political affairs, and especially the wars, of other countries. Thus, isolationism fundamentally advocates neutrality an ...

. Sullum has also made the case that Presidents, including 45th U.S. President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

, have been reckless with the lives of soldiers.

Awards and honors

Over the span of his career, Sullum's work has won a handful of awards which include: * Thomas S. Szasz Award – 2004 * Sullum won the Keystone Press Award for investigative reporting – 1988 * First Prize in the Felix Morley Memorial Journalism Competition – 1991 * National Magazine Award for his Reason cover story about treating pain – 1998 * Drug Policy Alliance's Edward M. Brecher Award for Achievement in the Field of Journalism – 2005 * Won first place for commentary or feature in the Southern California Journalism Awards for "Thank Deng Xiaoping for Little Girls" – 2007

Bibliography

* ''For Your Own Good: The Anti-Smoking Crusade and the Tyranny of Public Health'' (1998) () * ''Saying Yes: In Defense of Drug Use'' (2003) (), in which he puts forward the term

voodoo pharmacology Voodoo may refer to: Religions * West African Vodún, a religion practiced by Gbe-speaking ethnic groups * African diaspora religions, a list of related religions sometimes called Vodou/Voodoo ** Candomblé Jejé, also known as Brazilian Vodum ...

, a hotly debated subject.

References

External links

''Reason Online''

*

at

Archive at townhall.com

Podcasts of Sullum's recent articles
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sullum, Jacob 1965 births Living people 20th-century American Jews 20th-century American journalists 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American journalists 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers American columnists American libertarians American male journalists American male non-fiction writers American online journalists American opinion journalists American political writers Anti-psychiatry activists Cornell University alumni Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy alumni Jewish American journalists Jewish American non-fiction writers Journalists from Pennsylvania Writers from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania