Stories by Hoyt Purvis

OPINION | HOYT PURVIS: The big lie? The atmosphere is thick with misinformation. And it might be said that the environment is permeated with misbelief. Misinformation is evident in campaign attacks and criticism by the pro-Trump force... July 14, 2021

HOYT PURVIS: Is democracy safe? Many questions remain unanswered as we move beyond the pandemic. Major ones relate to what some see as an assault on democracy and democratic institutions. We have never experienced such an audacious ... June 23, 2021

HOYT PURVIS: After the pandemic The after-effects of the pandemic are widespread. The impact is significant and will continue for a long time. We celebrate – and justifiably so -- having basically conquered the devastating vi... June 2, 2021

HOYT PURVIS: Ever-shifting rivalries Rivalries are characteristics of business, sports, politics and international relations among other significant segments of our society. Rivalries can define the relationships that, in turn, provide ... May 12, 2021

HOYT PURVIS: Advocacy vs. objectivity The role of journalism and the media in present-day public affairs raise many questions and points of debate. The questions are not necessarily new ones; indeed, some have significant history as they ... April 21, 2021

HOYT PURVIS: Global picks and rolls Recent days have been full of picks and rolls as basketball has carved out a major piece of international sports. Soccer ranks as No. 1 among viewed sports around the world, but we have seen basketba... March 31, 2021

School daze The small package, delivered in my mail, opened up a variety of thoughts and memories — and a few questions — when I opened it. Its contents were simple and not particularly interesting to an outside... March 11, 2021

HOYT PURVIS: School daze The small package, delivered in my mail, opened up a variety of thoughts and memories -- and a few questions -- when I opened it. Its contents were simple and not particularly interesting to an outsid... March 9, 2021

HOYT PURVIS: The filibuster's future I am asked, with increasing frequency, when things are going to "get back to normal." There are certainly some encouraging developments in moving forward with vaccines, and the opening of some public ... February 17, 2021

HOYT PURVIS: The poet's challenge It may take time to sort through the presidential election results and discern the most important meaning and trends. There are lessons to be learned, including, importantly, the key roles of educatio... January 27, 2021

HOYT PURVIS: Dedicated servants All of us contribute to and participate in society and politics in different ways and through different channels -- most of us anyway. Some stay on the sidelines and don't want to be involved. Much o... January 6, 2021

HOYT PURVIS: Takeaways from 2020 What's your takeaway? That question has increasingly become a part of our common dialogue, especially in relation to politics and public affairs. Dictionary definitions of this term refer to "a key ... December 16, 2020

HOYT PURVIS: Troubled times still call for good reading Customarily, as a year draws closer to an end, I devote a column to books. I usually offer commentary and recommendations on newer books, mostly non-fiction and often biography, focused primarily on p... November 25, 2020

HOYT PURVIS: The inevitable result? A certain inevitability underlines the current presidential campaign. I don't mean, for example, that it was inevitable President Trump and some of those around him would be hit by the virus about whi... October 14, 2020

HOYT PURVIS: Attack politics I have heard it said that politics have always been dirty. And there is no doubt that our political history has been marked by dubious claims, misleading charges and unscrupulous actions. Political a... September 23, 2020

HOYT PURVIS: Names, words matter in 2020 campaigning Every presidential election cycle has its distinctive and defining features. That is certainly the case with the 2020 campaign, laden with misinformation to an unprecedented degree. Consider, for exa... September 2, 2020

HOYT PURVIS: Playing the democracy card It was a rather inauspicious beginning for a trip to Asia in 1996. I was nearing departure time in 1996 for travel to Taiwan, South Korea and Japan as chair of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board... August 12, 2020

Context required in Fulbright debate Lack of context and perspective often results in incomplete or distorted understanding of history. Actions don’t occur in a vacuum. Recent weeks have brought to the public agenda support for removin... July 22, 2020

Pandemic politics It’s the economy, stupid,” a phrase popularized by Bill Clinton campaign strategist James Carville in 1992, underlines a basic political reality — that economic factors heavily influence reactions and... July 1, 2020

HOYT PURVIS: Sports have value in pandemic age If all had gone according to plan, I would have spent a recent evening at Busch Stadium in St. Louis watching Cardinals baseball with my wife and friends. However, as almost everyone surely knows, tha... May 20, 2020

HOYT PURVIS: The missing ingredient We are at a critical juncture in our history -- a crisis point in many respects. I think most people would agree with that. Clearly, public health issues are at the top of the list of challenges we fa... April 29, 2020

HOYT PURVIS: Response to virus a mix of messages Practically everyone I have encountered in the past few weeks has asked the question: "Have you ever seen anything like this?" They are, of course, referring to the pandemic, the coronavirus. Increasi... April 8, 2020

HOYT PURVIS: Covid-19 exposes politics of blame, responsibility I have written often over the years about globalization as a factor in our lives and some of the associated benefits and liabilities. But the fundamental point is that globalization is a reality. And ... March 18, 2020

HOYT PURVIS: Newspaper links Decades ago, if you traveled down south Main Street in Jonesboro around 6 a.m. on most days, you might see a youngster sitting alone on the front porch of one of the homes. That young lad was me, wait... February 26, 2020

HOYT PURVIS: Cheating not uncommon in sport, political worlds Similarities and commonalities within and among politics and sports have been noted before, but that concordance has seldom been more in evidence than in the midst of a heated presidential campaign in... February 5, 2020

HOYT PURVIS: The question is, what puts United States in "Jeopardy!" Recently, the popular television quiz program "Jeopardy!" had a special "greatest of all time" competition. Those who are familiar with the long-running show know the contestants respond to answers ra... January 15, 2020

HOYT PURVIS: Trust vs. cynicism Two inter-related trends have figured prominently in bringing us to the current state of public affairs: • The decline of trust in government to near historic lows, with only 15 percent of Ameri... December 25, 2019

HOYT PURVIS: From politics to musicians, books tell amazing stories It is the time of year when we talk about books -- some older, but most relatively new -- primarily nonfiction, and covering a range of topics, including politics and popular culture. As we move into ... December 4, 2019

HOYT PURVIS: Foreign flashpoints muddle US presidential politics In the midst of this malodorous political season, I am often asked how this current period will be viewed and remembered in history and what the longer-term effects may be. We often look at historical... November 13, 2019

HOYT PURVIS: Global realities influence interaction of allies, rivals Hoyt Purvis Seemingly disparate issues have been featured in the news in recent days. They range from President Trump's abrupt decision to withdraw U.S. troops from northern Syria, effectively abandon... October 23, 2019

Hoyt Purvis: Whistle-blower claims demand gutsy response Congress circled the issue for many months before House Speaker Nancy Pelosi decided the time had come for a formal impeachment inquiry into what she cited as serious violation of the Constitution by ... October 2, 2019

HOYT PURVIS: Walmart faces down absolutist approach We have been living in an age of absolutism. It is certainly true that throughout history there have been those who take a "hard line" on issues and causes and are not open to change, compromise, reco... September 11, 2019

HOYT PURVIS: Will he or won't he? Trump's signals mixed First, he says he will: President Trump, imposing heavy tariffs on China trade. Then he says he won't: The president delays imposing much of those planned tariffs. First, Rep. Rashida Tlaib said she w... August 21, 2019

HOYT PURVIS: In governing, corruption doesn't stick to one script Corruption comes in many forms. Often it involves money and greed or gaining political or financial advantage or inside information. Not infrequently, it pertains to conflict of interest, which should... July 31, 2019

Hoyt Purvis: In politics, foreign affairs knowledge can be power Information is the coin of the realm. It is a prime commodity, particularly in Washington and national politics, but well beyond – in sports, business, research. We are witnessing a tug of war between... June 19, 2019

HOYT PURVIS: Reverberations in Iran On Nov. 27, 1978, the Shah of Iran and Empress Farah hosted a luncheon at the Nivavran Palace in Teheran. In attendance were U.S. Senate Majority Leader Robert Byrd and Mrs.Byrd; U.S. Ambassador Willi... May 29, 2019

HOYT PURVIS: The nation needs more authentics, fewer cynics There are many ways to categorize or characterize members of Congress and others who are involved in politics and public affairs. The most common labels, of course, are Republicans, Democrats, conserv... May 8, 2019

HOYT PURVIS: Democracy's difficulties and separated powers Democracy is difficult. However, as Winston Churchill cogently told us long ago, "Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others." Nowhere in the U.S. Constitution or the Declara... April 17, 2019

HOYT PURVIS: Outrage and rants in outrageous times Rage and outrage seem to come easily and often in these outrageous times. Although there are numerous examples of the outrageous in our politics, by no means are they limited to the political realm. H... March 27, 2019

HOYT PURVIS: Free agency in political realm can be costly Those of us who follow sports become accustomed to keeping up with free agents. We live in the era of free agency. We have just seen some astounding free-agent signings in major league baseball. The b... March 6, 2019

HOYT PURVIS: Hawks, doves still flapping We have our hawks and we have our doves. The hawk-dove nomenclature came into contemporary parlance during the Vietnam War and has continued since. As it has evolved, the terminology primarily applies... February 13, 2019

HOYT PURVIS: Under further review Football season is winding down. The collegiate championship, or what seems to be the "semi-annual" Clemson-Alabama match-up, is behind us. Perhaps henceforth that championship will be played for the ... January 23, 2019

HOYT PURVIS: To 2019 and beyond Seldom has American society begun a new year amidst such chaos and uncertainty, including the government shutdown. True, the U.S. government and political system have faced major challenges at earlier... January 2, 2019

HOYT PURVIS: A few recommended books worth reading Near the end of each year, I devote a column to books -- mostly non-fiction, and on a range of topics, including politics, public affairs or media. Sometimes I recommend books that might be of particu... December 12, 2018

HOYT PURVIS: Views from Sen. Fulbright delivers wisdom for today The Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, which oversees the Fulbright international educational exchange program, met recently at the University of Arkansas. The highlight of the meeting was the signi... November 21, 2018

HOYT PURVIS: Blind allegience? The Kavanaugh Supreme Court nomination dominated much of public and media attention in recent days. We saw a brutal confirmation fight laced with holier-than-thou hypocrisy and strict partisanship. Ho... October 10, 2018

HOYT PURVIS: Anonymity and credibility Responsible journalistic practice requires journalists to identify sources, But responsible journalistic practice also requires journalists to inform the public about matters of importance. In some ca... September 19, 2018

HOYT PURVIS: The root of corruption Long ago, when I was an undergraduate student, one of my professors, in a class on ethics, opened one day's class in a way I have never forgotten. A tall, rail-thin, older man, the professor stood sil... August 29, 2018

HOYT PURVIS: Politics in a polar vortex A polar vortex is an upper-level, low-pressure area near Earth's poles. There are two polar vortices in Earth's atmosphere, overlying the North and South poles. Beneath that lies a large mass of cold,... August 8, 2018

HOYT PURVIS: By the numbers Numbers can tell many stories: interesting, informative, important and sometimes inconsequential or misleading. Numbers can point to significant trends locally and around the world. For example, India... June 6, 2018