Robert Collins

A young Dr. Norman Francis when was a groomsman in my parents wedding in 1957. Last man on the right. He would become an attorney in my Dad’s law firm: Collins, Douglass, and Elie, before joining the Xavier U. Administration. Yes, our families go way back. May he Rest In Peace.

Norman C. Francis, who shaped Xavier and New Orleans, dies at 94 Francis was a key figure in the city’s civic, cultural and economic life. Friends and family praised the leader for how he treated others.

Breaking from Verite News: Norman Francis, Retired Xavier University President and National Higher Education and Civil Rights Icon, dies at 94.

veritenews.org/2026/02/18/n...

We hope everyone had a Happy Mardi Gras. We will see some of you in church in the morning when we are in line getting our ashes.

Dynasty? New Orleans politics and name recognition What does name recognition and legacy play in New Orleans politics?

My new column is out. Dynasty or democracy? The power of last names in New Orleans politics

veritenews.org/2026/02/10/n...

Another oversized front page newspaper quote from me on actual physical paper and real ink. I’m a TV guy now. But I was a print guy for many years and I still love print. Still a master of all media. #MasterOfAllMedia

Political Probability - Paid - Week of February 3, 2026 Long View of the 2026 Midterms and Louisiana Senate

Political junkies and political prediction market types, (normal people can keep scrolling), please enjoy a free copy of my newsletter with forecasts for the midterms and Louisiana US Senate seat. #PredictionMarkets

open.substack.com/pub/drrobert...

My comments on Congresswoman Julia Letlow entering the race to challenge US Senator Bill Cassidy.

Yes I mainly do television and print, but people forget I occasionally do radio also. I’m on WWNO radio today, on the Louisiana Considered show, talking about the steps necessary to diversify the New Orleans economy. Podcast available on the website after the broadcast. #MasterOfAllMedia

Inauguration Day yesterday. Back in the classroom to talk about the new mayor with students this morning. Here with three of my graduating seniors, who are excited that they are entering their final semester and are ready to get out of here. LOL

Overcoming challenges is the secret to success for Moreno - Verite News New Orleans Moreno's administration will need to overcome several challenges to achieve its objectives.

My new column is out: Overcoming challenges is the secret to success for Moreno

veritenews.org/2026/01/13/m...

A few of my comments from Mayor Moreno Inauguration Day

Some of my comments on the Moreno Infrastructure Plan 

A few of my Cantrell Postmortem comments while on Informed Sources WYES TV.

FOX 8 Saints Analyst Jeff Duncan and I are on Informed Sources today to talk about postmortems. Jeff handles the postmortem of the Saints season. I handle the postmortem of the Cantrell Administration. Tune in to Informed Sources on WYES TV at 7 PM on Friday.

We are now officially in countdown to Inauguration Day! I had a wide-ranging discussion with Rob Masson about what the new mayor needs to do to stop outmigration, diversify the economy, unique challenges, etc., to be aired later. Tune into WVUE FOX 8 for Inauguration Day.

I’m not on the air today. I just know when the bakeries start delivering the king cakes to the newsroom. So I show up to get my piece. Happy Twelfth Night. Happy Epiphany. Happy Carnival Season.

Well I thought I was going to get to sleep late on Saturday morning. But somebody decided they needed to invade a sovereign nation and seize its president this weekend. So I needed to go into FOX 8 to do political analysis. But at least I got to work with Maddie today.

2025 was a crazy political year, from the election of a new pope with Creole New Orleans ties, to the indictment of the current mayor, and the election of a new mayor. And many stories in between. Thank you for joining us. Happy New Year, and I’ll see you in 2026.

Some lessons learned from top N.O. political stories of 2025 - Verite News New Orleans Municipal election years always create a lot of political activity in New Orleans, but 2025 was even busier than usual.

My end of the year column is out. Some lessons learned from top N.O. political stories of 2025 veritenews.org/2025/12/31/c...

Some of my comments about Greenland and the Governor.

Merry Christmas

Wishing my girlfriend Kirston a Happy Birthday. She turned 30 today.

In the WYES TV studio today to record the End Of The Year Wrap Up Show for Informed Sources. And what a long, strange political year it’s been. The show airs December 26 and December 28. Let’s get after it. 

I love cold weather because it allows me to break out my tweed jackets and scarfs that I collected when I was at Harvard. Professors love tweed. #Tweed

With WVUE FOX 8 General Manager Mikel Schaefer and News Director Kristen Soroe Palestina at the FOX 8 Holiday Party at Five O Fore Golf.

Catahoula Crunch: The politics of DHS raids in New Orleans Examining the intersection of Catahoula Crunch, public opinion and New Orleans politics.

My latest column is out: Catahoula Crunch: The politics of immigration raids in New Orleans
veritenews.org/2025/12/09/c...

Happy Thanksgiving!