‘Sit kids down:’ Mark Patinkin talks hazing, reader criticism

Mark Patinkin, who’s been a newspaper columnist for over four decades, recently wrote about the issue of hazing in schools following incidents in Newport and Smithfield, respectively. Hazing has also been the focus of an opinion piece written by BTS cohost Dan McGowan, a columnist for the Boston Globe.Patinkin said student athletes who behave badly should be held responsible for their actions. But he also called on adults — specifically coaches — to take some ownership of what’s going on.“Coaches have the power to be able to sit kids down and a football team or a comparable situation and say, ‘Look, if any of you haze a kid, you’re off the team,'” Patinkin said. “Coaches can do that. They have the power. And I just have to think those conversations have not been happening in Rhode Island.”Patinkin also discussed his experience writing about the Israel-Hamas war, which included him traveling to the Middle East to interview people on both sides of the conflict. Patinkin, whose writing has leaned pro-Israel, said he’s rarely received such sharp criticism over his position.“It was withering … but I’ll tell you, it didn’t sway me,” Patinkin said. “When you’re a columnist putting your personality out there and people disagree with you, they say, ‘You’re a disgrace to humanity,’ so it gets very personal.”Later in the show, Dan and Eli discussed the “Stories We Wish We Wrote.”Dan’s picksRecords reveal R.I. pediatrician wrote more than a hundred prescriptions for his own daughter by Amanda Milkovits, Boston GlobeUnion leans on lawmakers to keep School Budget Commission on track by John Howell, Warwick BeaconEli’s picksAs winter heating costs rise, so does consumer anxiety in Rhode Island, poll finds by Alexander Castro, Rhode Island CurrentBROKEN NEWS? Outlets in search of sustainable community journalism model by John Lahtinen, Providence Business NewsWatch “Behind the Story” Thursdays at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on the WPRI 12+ TV app.How to download the free WPRI 12+ smart TV appIt airs on TV (Sundays at 8 a.m. on FOX Providence and 11 a.m. on The CW Providence), and will be available on demand through the WPRI 12+ app and right here on WPRI.com.“Behind the Story” is hosted by Eli Sherman and Kim Kalunian of 12 News, along with Dan McGowan of the Boston Globe.