Why Keep Interviewing the Haters?

The Globe did an article on the aftermath of the immigration raid on New Bedford. I'm not happy to report that, out of the 94,000+ people who live in New Bedford, they chose it's biggest hater as the person to interview. Why interview Phil Paleologos? What sort of expertise does he offer on immigration? If the Globe wanted a general reaction from people in the New Bedford community, there are plenty of people to pick from - almost a hundred thousand. What is this media obsession with interviewing the biggest jerks - people who have no credibility within the community, except for the crazy people who buy into their utter hatred?

It's sad to taint the article that way, because it did report on a lot of the problems New Bedford is facing. Few people think about the reasons behind why New Bedford is struggling - and this article addresses some of them. However, the Paleologos stench (along with a few other haters) is prioritized way up top. Speaking as someone from the New Bedford area, I don't see any of this hatred from the community in general. In fact, New Bedford has been one of the most welcoming places I've yet to see. There are great organizations, like the South Coast Marriage Coalition, which have made great strides in fostering a welcoming atmosphere. Wouldn't it have been nice to see the Globe focus on that, instead of the few bad apples at the bottom of the barrel Shawmut Diner.