'Jackal' Badges: Joke or repression?

In My Humble Opinion
1

full story at: http://www.startribune.com/st/qview.cgi?template=politics_a&slug=vent21

That mischievous little imp, Gov. Jesse Ventura of the Great State of Minnesota, has directed that members of the press who cover the Capitol beat be issued credentials that read “Media Jackal” and display a full-length photo of the governor, rather than the person to whom it was issued. A list of rules on the back includes the following statement:

“The governor’s office reserves the right to revoke this credential for any reason.”

The requirement for credentials (at the state level), and the revocation statement, have been referred to as “highly unusual” in the reports I read.

The governor’s office insists that the badges were issued entirely in a spirit of fun, but apparently the reporters, for the most part, ain’t laughin’. Associated Press, among other organizations, has directed its personnel not to wear the badge.

What say the TM? Good-natured joshin’ or outrageous attempt to humiliate the working press?

My HO: not quite a yellow Star of David, but appalling nontheless.

2

Not particularly funny. People who voluntarily put themselves in positions where they have to deal with the media should treat reporters like people who have a job to do.

Perhaps the reporters who cover the governor should present him with a ceremonial credential with a horse’s ass on it.

3

Between A) the coverage he got at the hands of “sports commentators” in the WWF and B) the inane propagandistic raving he does for his buddy Vince McMahon’s XFL, I’d say ol’ Jesse has had piss-poor training for knowing the role of journalism.