Like Trump, Jewish Governor Of Missouri Tries To Avoid Journalists

Eric Greitens Image by Rubenstein Public Relations

By Nathan Guttman March 28, 2017

Missouri governor Eric Greitens loves communicating with his constituents via Facebook. But what he really doesn’t care for is good old fashioned media. And the press is starting to get antsy.

“This is the most reclusive, inaccessible and unengaged governor I’ve ever covered,” Phill Brooks, a reporter for the local CBS radio affiliate in St. Louis told the Kansas City Star which ran an article discussing Greitens’ policy of avoiding the press.

The new governor has held only one press conference since taking office. Greitens and his aides, according to the reports, frequently ignore questions from the press, and the governor’s communication office has recently installed a keypad lock, blocking reporters from walking in with inquires.

Instead, Greitens turns to Facebook, where he speaks directly to his 170,000 followers without pesky reporters imposing tough questions.

Why is Greitens avoiding the press?

It could have to do with repeated attempts by local media outlets to reveal the identity of donors to his inaugural events and to a non-profit organization recently set up in order to advance the governor’s agenda. Greitens refused to disclose the names of his donors.

Greitens, who is the first Jewish governor of Missouri, attended the AIPAC conference in Washington this week.

Contact Nathan Guttman at [email protected]

Nathan Guttman, staff writer, was the Forward’s Washington bureau chief. He joined the staff in 2006 after serving for five years as Washington correspondent for the Israeli dailies Haaretz and The Jerusalem Post. In Israel, he was the features editor for Ha’aretz and chief editor of Channel 1 TV evening news. He was born in Canada and grew up in Israel. He is a graduate of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO