Good journalism, somebody once said, is a nation talking to itself. That’s “talking to itself,” not yelling, screaming, shrieking, talking over one another, and generally engaging in verbal bullying. Yet that is just about all we see on prime-time television, especially cable television. Prime-time cable TV outlets such as Fox, …
Today, I am turning my blog over to Mike Ford, founder and managing editor of the American Free News Network https://afnn.us/ to which I am a contributor. Mike is also a former U.S. Army Colonel and US Military Academy graduate (class of 1980). In today’s post, he says we have …
Nobody ever said doing good journalism is easy–or safe. In fact, reporters and photographers who have spent significant time covering war, revolution, political upheaval, and natural disasters are keenly aware that when they arrive in war-ravaged places like Ukraine, Iraq, Afghanistan, or Syria, they may not return home in one …
Two years ago, when I heard that Larry McMurtry passed away in his Archer, Texas, home at the age of 84, I was saddened. What a loss! What a prolific writer! What a storyteller! His 30 novels, many of which have been turned into classic films and television series, such …
All authors are emotionally engaged with their protagonists. I am no exception. I want readers to love my characters as much as I do. That means creating a flawed, three-dimensional protagonist who still has “things to work out.” The Finding Billy Battles series follows Billy from his roots in Kansas, through …
(Between 1980 and 1982, I spent a lot of time in Central American countries such as El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua–all of which were involved in some nasty guerilla uprisings and revolutions. From time to time, I will post one of the stories I did from these places. The following …
During the 13 years that I was a professor, department head, and finally a college dean at the University of Illinois, I was always puzzled by the “unwritten rule” that guided admissions to the university in general and to my college in particular. Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has …
Here’s an idea: let’s arrest store owners, NOT the shoplifters. That’s exactly what California wants to do via some newly proposed legislation. Will the insanity never stop? Apparently not. California lawmakers (read “ruling Democrats”) are sponsoring a new state law that seeks to prohibit the “direct confrontation or detention” of …
Yesterday was Father’s Day, and all over America, the concept of fatherhood was feted. Well, almost everywhere. There was that Angel Soft ad that ran a couple of years ago in which adults wish their single mothers a Happy Father’s Day. It’s bad enough that fathers have become so devalued …
I am sharing the post below from the Editorial Staff of the American Free News Network. I spent four years on active duty with the U.S. Army. It was one of the most important and consequential experiences of my life. While serving, I learned about leadership, working selflessly as part …