Public Radio Should Tackle the Issues

Sometimes, when politicians get beyond their rehearsed remarks, they reveal themselves.

A Connecticut Congressional candidate Mark Greenberg revealed his bias in a careless remark about Islam on WNPR's Where We Live. He said in an interview on WNPR's Where we live that he found Islam to be objectionable. He questioned whether Islam was a religion of peace like Christianity and and Judaism. He said, "We have to be able to be real about the fact that some folks in that religion are out to kill us." Then Greenberg dug himself in deeper by calling Islam a cult. Greenberg later backed off his comments which were condemned by his Republican opponents. 


In his comments Greenberg revealed his feelings and his bias. The public needs to know where the candidates are coming from. In this case, public radio played an important role in that process. At times, people in development roles and senior management winced when we took on our role as journalist. They were concerned being button holed and with the bottom line. Serious journalism doesn't always make for smooth sailing. 


There are more reactions to Greenberg's comments in The Hartford Courant, The Waterbury Republican, The Torrington Register and The Huffington Post. Given the reaction and coverage given to the interview, could this story be considered impactful?


You can hear the entire interview on WNPR's Website.