New 102.7’s Mike Adam says there’s nobody he’d refuse to sit down with for an interview — as long as he’s free to ask whatever he wants.
Adam addressed the question of whether he’d ever decline to interview someone he strongly disagrees with, and his answer was clear. He’d have no problem talking with figures like Morgan Wallen or Donald Trump, as long as he wasn’t restricted from going wherever the conversation needed to go.
“I would never turn down a good conversation and debate, a chance to learn something or teach something, or reach some kind of middle ground,” Adam said. “I feel like as a country, we need to be doing more of that.”
The veteran host acknowledged in a post on social media that total freedom in interviews is rarely a reality. “You have to work within the parameters that you’re given,” he said. But when restrictions are placed on him, he feels it reflects poorly on his credibility with listeners.
Adam pointed to a past interview with Barack Obama as an example of the kinds of conditions that can come with high-profile bookings. Before that conversation, he was asked to sign an agreement stating he’d give equal access to opposing candidates. His response? No hesitation.
“I will talk to anybody about these issues that I think are top of mind for all Americans,” he said.
For Mike Adam, staying silent on a major topic — he used racism as a specific example — isn’t something he’s willing to do. He believes his audience knows who he is, and failing to address an elephant in the room would let them down.
“If I’m muzzled in any way,” he said, “that’s a poor reflection of me, and my listeners would be let down from that.”
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