COLUMNS

Mark Ward Sr writes a monthly “Communication Corner” opinion column for the Victoria Advocate newspaper that shows how communication theories and concepts can be applied to current issues of national and local concern.

2026

• ‘Digital Religion’ and the Decline of Scripture, February 7, 2026
• Swift, Kelce, and the State of Modern Marriage, January 8, 2026

2025

• ‘Tis the Season for Interfaith Dialogue, December 5, 2025
• Thoughts on Football and What’s in a Name, November 8, 2025
• A Short Course in Conflict Management, October 1, 2025
• A&M-Victoria Has a Lot Going for It, September 3, 2025
• Investing in the Free Exchange of Ideas, August 6, 2025
• America’s Declaration of Individualism, July 2, 2025
• Analyzing Donald Trump’s Power to Lead, June 4, 2025
• The 2024 Election Explained in Two Vignettes, May 7, 2025
• Education is the New Dividing Line in US Politics, April 5, 2025
• Abortion is About More Than Elections, March 5, 2025
• Must We Choose the Lesser of Two Evils?, February 5, 2025
• The “Monkey Trial” and Its Evolution, January 1, 2025

2024

• Black-and-White Thinking Gets Us Nowhere, December 4, 2024
• Will Victoria Be the Next News Desert? November 6, 2024
• Religion and Politics, or Religion “as” Politics, October 4, 2024
• “What Ifs” of the 2024 Election, September 4, 2024
• Style or Substance, It’s Your Vote, August 7, 2024
• Thoughts on “A Town Called Victoria,” July 5, 2024
• The ‘Hush Money’ Trial and a Lesson in Rhetoric, June 21, 2024
• When We No Longer Read Books, June 5, 2024
• April is Autism Awareness Month, April 17, 2024
• A Time for Celebration and Reconciliation, March 20, 2024
• Lessons on “Blood and Soil” Rhetoric, February 7, 2024
• In 2024, Evangelicals Face a Choice, January 12, 2024

2023

• Slides Rules, Calculators, and AI, December 6, 2023
• Will “Trials of the Century” Be Televised? November 15, 2023
• Getting in the Way of Your Own Message, October 6, 2023
• Football, Cognitive Dissonance and Politics, September 6, 2023
• As Our World Gets Louder, So Do Our Politics, August 2, 2023
• Don’t Touch That (AM) Dial, July 5, 2023
• The Press and the “Parasocial President,” May 31, 2023
• Trump’s Indictment and Republican Groupthink, May 3, 2023
• Thoughts from the Obituaries, March 29, 2023
• 50 Years After Roe, Part 2, March 1, 2023
• 50 Years After Roe, What Now?, January 25, 2023

2022

• Peace, Goodwill, and a Chance to Rebrand, December 28, 2022
• A Different Look at the Library Debate, November 30, 2022
• How Do You “Know” What You Know? November 2,2022
• Comparing Watergate and Trumpgate, October 5, 2022
• Listening is a Skill That We All Must Learn, September 7, 2022
• Trees, Air and the Debate Over Big Tech, August 10, 2022
• Analyzing the January 6th Hearings, July 13, 2022
• An Open Letter to Southern Baptists, June 15, 2022
• A House Cognitively Divided, May 18, 2022
• Professors are Not Stereotypes, April 20, 2022
• A Question of Identity, March 23, 2022
• Negotiation, Not Violence, February 23, 2022
• The Wisdom of a 10-Year-Old, January 26, 2022

2021

• The Warning of January 6, December 29, 2021
• ’Tis the Season for Interfaith Dialogue, December 1, 2021
• Making Sense of Neurodiversity, November 3, 2021
• A Plea for Civic Discourse, October 6, 2021
• An Open Letter to White Evangelicals, September 8, 2021
• What is Critical Race Theory? August 11, 2021
• Our Symbols and Their Meanings, July 14, 2021
• Leadership Styles and the Presidency, June 16, 2021
• The Value in a Single Word, April 28, 2021
• What is Good Communication? March 31, 2021