Certainly, Gov.

Monday, February 05, 2001

Certainly, Gov. Jesse Ventura has not been shy about his contempt for the media, but he seems to hold a special place in his heart for The Pioneer Press. And the feeling is mutual. These two have acted like a couple of first-graders on the playground, bickering and carrying on.

Frankly, I don’t expect much more from Ventura, who seems to pride himself on eschewing professionalism. But I think the Pulitzer Prize winning paper has stooped to a new low with the Jan. 28 edition.

First, it was then they kicked off the "Venturaland" editorial cartoon. I don’t know if anyone else saw it, but I think it was way too hyped. To quote my friend and co-worker, Bob Vilt, "If there was any kind of joke there, I didn’t get it." Yeah, neither did I, and I’m sure we’re not the only ones.

What really caught my attention that day, though, was one of their lead news stories.

The entire story was mere speculation at how much money Ventura has made in his outside ventures.

They estimate Ventura has made at least $1.5 million, and as much as $2.9 million.

Of course, Ventura was not about to disclose his personal financial manners. So they simply spoke to industry sources to get estimates on the amounts earned for his two book deals and the latest gig as an XFL color commentator.

For the Pulitzer Prize winning paper broke the story of basketball players cheating at the University of Minnesota (perhaps the biggest news story of that year and the one which likely provoked the ire of the Guv) to publish such a poorly thought out piece is a great disappointment.

The story seems so sensational and more appropriate for the National Enquirer rather than a real news source.

Truth be told, I believe Minnesotans deserve to know how much Ventura has vested in these other gigs. His outside ventures have affected the way he governs the state.

However, the information needs to be disclosed in a truthful, professional manner. And a professional news source cannot speculate on such issues simply to settle up the score.

Shawnda Schelinder is the associate editor. She can be reached at 434-2235 or by e-mail at shawnda.

schelinder@austindailyherald.com