Oregon Media - Hard On Couple Over Sex Role Playing

And other sundry tales of TV news sexploits...

Names not important

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Oregon's big national case this week involves a young couple arrested for sexual role playing. The only mistake they made was not keeping it behind their own locked doors.

Was it ever a story though in a real context? I think not. It reminds me of the time my Las Vegas news director told me he heard over the scanner that a naked prostitute had been tossed out of a car going 60 mph.

"Sixty miles an hour!" He yelled, with a crazed look in his eyes.

"what are you still doing here!"

Maybe it is a story, it is interesting, the naked prostitute that is, but restraint should have been used in this Oregon case. The deputies who made this arrest in Clackamas County knew they were doubling as parade organizers, opening wide a public window into this young couple's life. I seriously doubt it was worth it.

Case in Point

In this Valentine's Day top story, the young woman was tied up in the back seat and her clothes were off. A passer-by saw her there and inquired with the two as to what was going on.

Apparently unsatisfied with the answer he received, since the young woman was gagged and unable to speak, the person called 911, and that was the right thing to do if there was a doubt.

However once police made their contact, it should have ended, but oh no, that isn't how business is conducted in this state. In far too many agencies, police and deputies are conditioned to want to arrest, that is their exercise in power and control. Nine police units responded to the misreported abduction.

And then the media, not that I haven't been one of these vultures in my life, but they were photographing the inside of the car like it was a crime scene! The woman's bra for God's sake, that was the b-roll, it was such a cheap shot.

That is a classic example of what drove me out of the TV newsroom in the first place. The people who staff these places are often well educated, they attend good colleges and universities, but until and unless they really dig their heels into the dirt and gain real life experience, they know all too little. Oh, they might have a sense for what will boost the ratings, but that often has little to do with what they should be doing.

Then there is my inescapable memory while reporting from the war in Afghanistan, of a Portland station dropping my report on Afghan Army women firing the AK-47 for the first time, for a story about Brittney Spears flashing her underwear while exiting a limo, during her child custody hearing.

Smut News Central, Nevada

And yet for what it is worth, Portland's worst smut news package pales next to what I saw in Las Vegas, like a rape reenactment...? Uh huh, only in Las Vegas. That garbage between an executive producer named Dan Burns and some underling producer, whose name I don't recall, was actually used in our TV news, on my story!

I had to take video from two people who also worked at KVBC, the NBC affiliate in Sin City, and insert a rape scene with Burns on top of this woman... shot in the news director's office. This is the reason I had my shouting match with first Burns, and then Mike George, the drunken news director that insisted I add the rape scene, if I "wanted to have a job tomorrow". What an idiot, what a crackpot. His famous line to me was, "Tim, news is half information and half entertainment". Really? I had no idea and still, all these years later, reject the notion like a stale sandwich.

Husband Sex Offender

A friend of mine is a sex offender in this state because police 'caught' he and his wife having sex in a park at night, in their car.

Similar to this current case, what they were doing barely crosses the line of illegal, they could have been sent home, but the prudish nature of Oregon says "I think not" and as I said, my friend ultimately had to register as a sex offender, not his wife, but only my friend.

Stupid stupid stupid.

Conclusion

Rights... privacy... this couple apparently forfeited theirs by crossing the line with a role playing act. I want to state that this article is being carried only because the matter needs clarity, and because frankly, it is awesome that people so carried away are married to each other.

They were arrested, both, and now it is reported that the charges against this Valentine's Day role-playing couple have been reduced, to disorderly conduct charges.

This takes them out of the felony (stupid!) category, the 'crimes' related in this love affair has been reduced to misdemeanor violations.

_________________________________________________________

Tim King, summer 2008, covering the Iraq War

Tim King: Salem-News.com Editor and Writer

Tim King has more than twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor. In addition to his role as a war correspondent, this Los Angeles native serves as Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor. Tim spent the winter of 2006/07 covering the war in Afghanistan, and he was in Iraq over the summer of 2008, reporting from the war while embedded with both the U.S. Army and the Marines. Tim is a former U.S. Marine.

Tim holds awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing, including the Silver Spoke Award by the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (2011), Excellence in Journalism Award by the Oregon Confederation of Motorcycle Clubs (2010), Oregon AP Award for Spot News Photographer of the Year (2004), First-place Electronic Media Award in Spot News, Las Vegas, (1998), Oregon AP Cooperation Award (1991); and several others including the 2005 Red Cross Good Neighborhood Award for reporting. Tim has several years of experience in network affiliate news TV stations, having worked as a reporter and photographer at NBC, ABC and FOX stations in Arizona, Nevada and Oregon. Tim was a member of the National Press Photographer's Association for several years and is a current member of the Orange County Press Club.

Serving the community in very real terms, Salem-News.com is the nation's only truly independent high traffic news Website. As News Editor, Tim among other things, is responsible for publishing the original content of 102 Salem-News.com writers. He reminds viewers that emails are easily missed and urges those trying to reach him, to please send a second email if the first goes unanswered. Tim's Facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/TimKing.Reporter You can write to Tim at this address: newsroom@salem-news.com