More coverage of Munger necessary

I was surprised to see no coverage in The Chronicle of the Sept. 24 gubernatorial debate between Republican candidate for governor Pat McCrory and Libertarian candidate Mike Munger. While difficult editorial decisions are made every night in the Flowers building, I had hoped that The Chronicle would inform students about this historic and democratic event.

For the first time ever, a third-party N.C. gubernatorial candidate was included in a televised debate. Although we can differ on the merits of voting for a third-party candidate, Munger is the only one offering several positions that may be surprisingly popular among students. These include criticizing offshore drilling, ending the death penalty, fighting for marriage equality and limiting tax incentives to relocating corporations. This race will be one of the closest in the nation this fall; a viable candidate with engaging positions deserves commentary. This is also a compelling campus story. Our own local boy made good, Munger, the chair of the political science department, has a real chance of impacting this fall's election. His name is included in almost all polls and he has run radio ads. And yet his own campus newspaper won't cover the most momentous event of his campaign so far. The Chronicle is no place for puffery, but Munger's participation in the debate was as newsworthy as other reported accomplishments of the Duke community.

Lastly, if the Readership program is in as much jeopardy as we hear, it is incumbent on The Chronicle to step up and provide local insight to our largely cloistered students. For those without access to the Herald-Sun or the Durham News & Observer, our campus newspaper is the only option for being informed about one of the nation's closest races. As all news outlets (including campus newspapers) have to compete for eyeballs, it will be crucial to get the news we need from the paper we trust.

Hirsh Sandesara,

Trinity '06,

School of Medicine '12