Angle on refusing 'mainstream media' interviews: 'There's no earnings for me'

[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/07/14/art.sharronangle.file6.gi.jpg caption =" Nevada Senate candidate Sharron Angle is explained Wednesday why she routinely refuses to do mainstream media interviews. "]Washington (CNN) - Nevada Senate candidate Sharron Angle is explaining why she routinely refuses to do mainstream media interviews, saying that "there's no earnings for me there."

The Republican made the comments to David Brody of The Christian Broadcasting Network in an interview on Tuesday. Angle is battling to oust Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in the November election.

"People say that I went 'dark.' I didn't," Angle said. "I have done over 60 interviews. I quit counting a couple of weeks ago. But the whole point of an interview is to use it like they say, 'earned media,' to earn something with it. And I'm not going to earn anything from people who are there to badger me and use my words to batter me with."

The candidate went on to explain how mainstream media interviews won't pay off for her campaign politically – or financially.

"Well I say I need a million people with $25 dollars and so that's really been the focus of using all that earned media to earn that $25 that we need to go really and be competitive in this race and so that's what we've been doing so we're not hiding,' she said.

Later, Angle asked this about "mainstream media" outlets: "Well, in that audience will they let me say I need $25 dollars from a million people go to Sharron Angle.com send money?"

Since winning Nevada's GOP primary, Angle has often granted interviews with conservative, largely friendly media outlets. But that is not so different from other political candidates who also, frequently, steer clear of potentially hostile interviews from journalists they deem unfriendly.

Angle has done at least one high-profile mainstream interview, with political journalist Jon Ralston on the Nevada program, Face to Face on KVBC in Las Vegas and KRNV in Reno.

Speaking with CNN, Ralston criticized Angle's stance on who she grants interviews to.

When reminded that Angle is employing a tactic that is similar to other politicians, Ralston said: "Every time a politician goes on TV they certainly hope that it will help them rather than hurt them…But you rarely hear politicians so explicitly say, 'I go and do interviews so I can get money for my campaign.' I've never seen anyone say that."

As for Angle's opponent, Sen. Reid, Ralston said, "Does he avoid people he thinks are hostile? I would guess so. But he can't avoid everybody and he does do a press [conference] very frequently on Capitol Hill."

In Angle's June 29 interview with Ralston, she denied critics claims that she's avoided reporters by hiding in an "underground bunker."

But Angle has avoided reporter questions at some times.

At a recent event in Nevada, a local television reporter pressed Angle on some of her controversial past comments on "getting out of…Social Security" and eliminating the Environmental Protection Agency.

Angle initially answered the reporter's questions, saying that she advocates a transition to personalized accounts for Social Security and blasting the EPA's role in the Gulf Coast oil spill.

Then Angle appeared to become angry with the reporter. She was pressed to explain her comment that, "If this Congress keeps going the way it is, people are really looking toward those Second Amendment remedies and saying, 'My goodness, what can we do to turn this country around?'"

Angle refused to answer that question, prompting the reporter to chase her on foot outside the event. That scene, caught on tape, sparked a viral video on the internet.

In her interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network, Angle explained her campaign's logic behind answering some reporters' questions, while refusing to interview with others.

"We're looking at how can we best benefit from the media," she said.

Reid's campaign is responding to Angle's comments.

"It's interesting that she finally admits that she's dodging mainstream media," Reid campaign spokesman Jon Summers told CNN.

Summers criticized Angle's positions on Social Security, the EPA and on other items.

"At some point Nevada voters are going to expect some answers on all those issues," he said.

"If you want to be a senator, you've got to be willing to talk to all of your constituents."