Ventura Declares War on State's Media

Back to the Media's Behavior Page

NewsMax.com

Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2001

Last week Minnesota's oddball governor, Jesse Ventura, took a powder on his state's local media, vowing he wouldn't let them in on his comings and goings, as NewsMax.com reported Oct. 17. Now he's asking Minnesotans to boycott local newspapers and TV stations.

According to Dane Smith, writing in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Ventura spent the better part of a 2 1/2 hour radio show appearance castigating the local media, who he charged are "destroying" people.

Ventura's increasingly bizarre behavior, such as requiring reporters to wear badges labeling them as "Official Jackals" (NewsMax.com, February 21, 2001) continued as he told listeners, "Don't read either [daily] newspaper and don't watch the evening news."

Filling in for host Joe Soucheray on KSTP (1500 AM) Ventura advised listeners, "And then you will not be infiltrated with the half-truths, the National Enquirer journalism that's practiced today. Listen to talk radio."

Smith noted that Ventura has his own weekly one-hour radio show on WCCO (830 AM).

Earlier, on his own show, Ventura vowed he would wage a "war" on his foes and get them "running and hiding as fast as the Taliban," Smith revealed.

At the root of his latest snit about the media is reporters' questions about the financial arrangements of his recent trip to New York, which was paid for by ABC News. ABC News received an exclusive interview with Ventura in return.

He suggested that the reason reporters questioned the deal was that they envied him the visit to New York's Ground Zero, which excluded them. "A lot of them told their friends and family, 'Ooh, I'm gettin' to go, I'm gonna follow the governor, I'm goin' to get to go to Ground Zero' ... and they probably got egg on their faces."

Concerning Ventura's disappearing act with the media, Smith wrote that the governor recalled a sign during the recent state employees strike that read "Governor, Do Navy SEALs Run and Hide?"

"And my response," said Ventura, "was, 'Yes, that's our mode of operation. We're not Marines. SEALs don't charge the beach. ... We hit the enemy when the enemy least expects it.'"

He then went on to explain: "I just like to fight back. They're the ones whining because I'm not talking to them. ... There's an old saying, 'Don't bite the hand that feeds you' and the Minnesota media's bitten my hand too many times. So now the hand's not feeding them anymore."

Smith recalled Ventura's claim that he has the upper hand in his dealings with the hated media. "I fooled them when I got elected," he said of local journalists. "I fool them right now whenever I feel like it."

He seems to have forgotten the old adage about dealing with the press: "Never get into a fight with people who buy ink by the barrel and paper by the ton."

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
Media Bias

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