http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2008/11/18/komo_people_are_having_secks Comments On: KOMO: People Are Having SECKS! by Dan Savage en-us Copyright 2009 The Stranger. All rights reserved. This RSS file is offered to individuals, The Stranger readers, and non-commercial organizations only. Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact The Stranger. webmaster@thestranger.com (The Stranger Webmaster) Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:01 -0800 Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0800 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss One to chastise her for dishonest reporting.
Two to thank her for "donations, new members and renewed comradarie between old members/friends."

Miss y'all & the Center!!
anita from TX
Posted by anita]]> Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:02:30 -0800 The Stranger Posted by LordWinds]]> Sun, 23 Nov 2008 18:12:52 -0800 The Stranger Posted by 1-2-many]]> Fri, 21 Nov 2008 09:51:22 -0800 The Stranger
What will work is a boycott of the shows (or maybe the stations) sponsors.

This kind of sleaze-ball, sensationalizing, yellow journalism is done to boost ratings and sell advertising. If the advertisers hear that a local club with 5,000 active members is not going to buy their products if they advertise here, they will run screaming away. =That= is the only way you will get the attention of these money grubbers.

Who wants to start a list of places to not shop?

A.M.
Posted by Ambrose]]> Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:52:10 -0800 The Stranger
http://www.komonews.com/opinion/commenta…

Posted by dk]]> Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:36:05 -0800 The Stranger Posted by GT]]> Tue, 18 Nov 2008 18:31:15 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Your Mom]]> Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:28:12 -0800 The Stranger
You people should be ashamed of yourselves. The sensationalist hit peice you ran on the Center for Sex Positive Culture made it seem like a night club of private owners scamming the state, rather than the community organization that it really is. The only difference in terms of actual daily function between a non-profit and a profit making business is that the profits are not distrubuted to shareholders.

I wonder why you don't do a salacious "expose" style hit peice on that great bigoted hate group known as the LDS church? One that made so much "profit" it's built mega temples all over the world, and could get it's bigoted "members" to donate 20 million dollars to take away people's civil rights.

Most egregious is the opening, when the talking haircut at the begining states that a "seattle woman is looking for state and federal money to finance part of her sex club organization." "Her" organization? A significant population of the Seattle community supports the Center for Sex Positive Culture with membership dues, just like any other membership organization. It's owned by the community, not any single member.

The piece then doesn't bother to explain exactly where she is "looking" for state and federal funds.

I'm disgusted with KOMO. The talking parasites KOMO hires to to broadcast this sewage don't deserve to handle money in fast food, much less broadcasting on the publicy owned airwaves. At the very least, these walking atrocities (Marlee Ginter especially) ought to lose their FCC licenses. KOMO should end up buying the center a new building out of the deal. It would not surprise me if some of the innaccuracies reach the threshold of libel.

Shame. Just shame.

Sincerely,


Christopher Bingham
Posted by mrchris]]> Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:27:22 -0800 The Stranger The scandalous piece on the Center for Sex Positive Culture that you presented last night made quite an impression on me, an appalling one!

It was remarkable how many inaccuracies were conveyed in such a short time.

Allena Gabosch does not “own” the Center, the community does.
There are no private rooms available for members all rooms are shared.
Membership dues to a 501(c) 7 are not tax-deductible.
Nonprofits do not keep any profits for personal gain, that's what nonprofit means.
Brian Alexander’s quotes were taken out of context to give a false appearance of condemnation.

Even in a busy election month the LPM (lies per minute) quotient in your piece was extraordinary.

Failing to mention that the Center is a volunteer driven organization, the oft marginalized sexual minorities that it also serves, or the fact that if the need for the Center did not exist, it would not exist either, indicates what a hackneyed and biased attempt at sensationalism this piece really is.

I always thought that fact checking and unbiased reporting were fundamental to good journalism. I've noticed that KOMO has already pulled the story from its website. It seems they already want to orphan it and get as far away as possible.

I do wonder, how does it feel to sell out your journalistic integrity in exchange for a shot at toothless scandal? Shame on you
Posted by Snakeman]]> Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:27:10 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Sargon Bighorn]]> Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:17:57 -0800 The Stranger
I was surprised to receive a link to Dan Savage's blog that featured your report from last night on Komo-TV that featured a snippet of an hour-long conversation I had in your studios nearly one year ago when my book -- which you pictured -- debuted.
While I admired the breathless style, and the very creative editing that must have taxed the imagination of the editor, I was disconcerted because your report made it appear as if 1) I conducted some sort of scary undercover sting or investigation 2) I was shocked by what I saw 3) I condemned it.
None of these are true.
In fact, I recall saying in the interview that the club members were "normal" and not scary, that the club had a very real educational purpose, and that my reporting for the previous year, in communities across the country, showed how much more mainstream BDSM and other formerly alternative sex practices were becoming.
Sheesh.
If you had bothered to read the book, or even the chapter based in Seattle -- or even if you had watched your own station's brief interview with me taped on that same day for the afternoon show -- you would have known that I spent time with Allena and with club members and that I had been welcomed with openness and graciousness, just as you apparently were. I made it clear that while I did not find some of the activities of some members to my taste, I was not condemning.
I realize that doesn't make for good "hard-hitting" TV news but boy, you really made the most of what you had. Way to go.
Now I feel as if I should apologize to Allena and the other club members. But I also feel you owe an apology to me for putting me in this position.
Pretty cheesy.

Yours,
Brian Alexander

Posted by Brian Alexander]]> Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:04:11 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Robbie]]> Tue, 18 Nov 2008 15:31:46 -0800 The Stranger Posted by JenK]]> Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:47:26 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Paul Merrill]]> Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:30:12 -0800 The Stranger Posted by JenK]]> Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:11:59 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Fnarf]]> Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:07:23 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Fnarf]]> Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:59:18 -0800 The Stranger donation page on the center's website states, "Donations to the CSPC are not tax-deductible."
Posted by JenK]]> Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:54:03 -0800 The Stranger Posted by it is markmitchell]]> Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:47:57 -0800 The Stranger
It can be viewed here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=uUMVDJ1fDiY

And if you'd care to share your opinion with KOMO, feel free to email any of the following: tips@komo4news.com, comments@komo1000news.com, problemsolvers@komo4news.com, NewsInquiries@komo4news.com, comments@komotv4.com

The author's email is: MGinter@komotv.com
Posted by jmdinn]]> Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:36:25 -0800 The Stranger Posted by thewholezoo]]> Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:36:22 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Zeitgeist]]> Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:11:37 -0800 The Stranger Posted by bibliogrrl]]> Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:10:33 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Skye]]> Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:08:36 -0800 The Stranger Posted by jared]]> Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:05:27 -0800 The Stranger