“Reading a Book is Like Life:
You Live it One Page at a Time.” (Ron Yates)
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About Ronald E. Yates
Author, former foreign correspondent for the Chicago Tribune, and Dean & Professor Emeritus of the College of Media at the University of Illinois, his acclaimed works are now available through this site.
The Latest From My Blog
A Retrospective on the Tiananmen Square Massacre Tomorrow
Considering the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) continued threats against Taiwan, its menacing alliance with Russia and Iran, its unsuccessful attempts to dominate in Venezuela, Brazil, and a few other Latin American nations, and the thousands of spies and military operatives China dispatched to our nation during the feckless Biden Administration, …
Where Have America’s Men Gone?
I read an essay the other day stating that a new Department of Labor report on men found that the American labor force is missing about 7 million men who would otherwise be working. This means close to one-third of all men of working age are not included in the …
Who Writes Better? Men or Women?
A while back, I published a post about a poll that asked the question: “Who writes better? Men or Women?” What a hazardous, if not lethal, question. The poll was produced by Grammarly.com, a proofreading software program for word processors such as Microsoft Word. As you might expect, its conclusions …
A Lesson on Gun Control & the Second Amendment from Wounded Knee
Recently, I received an email from a reader reminding me that while America will celebrate its 250th birthday this July 4, this year is also the 135th anniversary of the murder of 297 Lakota Sioux Indians at Wounded Knee Creek on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. These …
America’s Media are Suffering from a Crisis of Competence
In a recent email exchange with one of my Substack subscribers, I was asked if I think the independent media (such as the Substack community I am building) can provide a “de-escalation” space that legacy media has largely abandoned. I am not optimistic about today’s independent media. Most of its …
Thoughts on the Racial & Ethnic Transformation of America
Writing about race and the rapidly shifting racial complexion and composition of America is a dangerous exercise. No matter how you discuss it or describe it, if you are white, you are almost certain to be called a racist by easily triggered leftists who prefer that you keep silent about …
Is Diversity Our Strength, or Our Weakness?
I have never believed the leftist maxim that insists diversity is “our strength.” Instead, I see it as divisive, with our nation being split into cultural, ethnic, racial, religious, and political tribes who are essentially at war with one another. How is that a “strength?” How can we be a …
After The Fall of Saigon: A Retrospective
(This is a follow-up to the story I posted yesterday on the 51st anniversary of the Fall of Saigon in 1975. ) After several dozen others and I were evacuated on April 29th, 1975, from the hulking Military Assistance Command-Vietnam building at Saigon’s Tan Son Nhut airbase, I filed my …
The Fall of Saigon: A Personal Recollection 51 Years Later
Fifty-one years ago today, I was scrambling aboard a U.S. Marine Corps CH-53 Sea Stallion heavy-lift helicopter with some 70 or so other terrified people. We were being evacuated from Saigon as it fell to invading Communist North Vietnamese troops. April 29, 1975, is a day I will never forget, …
Join me for a Vietnam Retrospective Tomorrow
Tomorrow, April 29, I will be posting my recollections of the Fall of Saigon- an event I covered for the Chicago Tribune 51 years ago. I invite you to join me for this retrospective at ForeignCorrespondent or on Substack: https://ronyates.substack.com/. As many of you may know, the war in Vietnam …
Justice Clarence Thomas: “Progressivism is an Existential Threat to America”
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas delivered an insightful and important speech at the University of Texas recently that I wish every American could have heard. Because that wasn’t possible, I will do my best to report and interpret what Justice Thomas, a staid originalist and rigorous champion of the Constitution, …
A Letter of Concern and Foreboding to the Society of Professional Journalists
Several months ago, I sent a note to Caroline Hendrie, Executive Director of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), the 117-year-old organization that focuses on journalism ethics, defending the First Amendment, and providing professional development for both legacy and independent journalists. I have been a member of SPJ for more …
