Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Sex / Media Author Brian Alexander Isn't Happy With KOMO's Marlee Ginter
Posted by Dan Savage on Tue, Nov 18, 2008 at 5:15 PM
Brian Alexander is the author of America Unzipped—you can read about his book here—and he was interviewed about his experience visiting the Center for Sex Positive Culture in Marlee Ginter's "problem solver" report last night on KOMO 4 News.
Watching Alexander's brief comments in Ginter's report I got the impression that he was opposed to the what goes on at the Center—the work they do, the parties they host—and that America Unzipped must be a book-length condemnation of alternative sex cultures. Not true. Not only isn't Alexander opposed to alternative sex cultures, it turns out that he wasn't interviewed for Ginter's piece. Ginter lifted clips from an interview Alexander did for KOMO more than a year ago when his book first came out. Ginter took Alexander's comments out of context and worked to create the impression that Alexander was just as shocked by the goings on at the Center—ZOMG! SECKS! THEY'RE DOING SECKS THERE!—as Ginter herself either is or pretends to be when the little red light is on.
And—surprise!—Alexander isn't happy with Ginter or KOMO. Here's the letter he sent Ginter:
Dear Ms. Ginter: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
Alexander may have to wait a while for an apology from Ginter, Seattle's own Kandiss Crone. But I'd like to apologize to Alexander for falling for Ginter's unethical bullshit and calling him a, um, "douchebag" in the post I wrote last night after seeing the teaser for Ginter's lie-packed attempted take-down of the Center. Um, sorry about that, Brian.
It's not too late to give Ginter—sexphobe, liar, unethical journalist—a piece of your mind. Email her at MGinter@komotv.com.
Wait, isn't this how Sarah Palin got started?
But they would either ignore it or run a shot of someone in leather and cluck their tongues. What we ought to do is follow a KOMO truck to a live remote, interrupt once the shot goes live, get our displeasure noted on the air.
People should be demanding a retraction and clarification. That's bullshit journalism and nobody should stand for it. Ever.
Hey thanks all of you great Stranger staffers for your contribution to Slog!!
- Silver
Long live the kinksters!
And it is. It so is.
Seriously, why do we have a preview function now?
Here is an address: problemsolvers@komo4news.com
I don't know if the boss sees that one, but emailing the offending party is not as much fun as emailing their boss.
Subject: Your reporting appears unprofessional, unethical, puritanical, self-righteous, and juvenal.
While I have not seen your reporting myself, I have read much about it in the last few days, and the impression that I have gotten is that you:
- Edited quotes so far out of context as to be, well, lying with clips.
- Misinformed the public about the relationship between a non-profit and government spending, where there is no relationship.
- Failed to put a non-profit which promotes sex among informed, consenting adults into the context of a political legacy of abstinence only education and public funding of faith based initiatives.
- Had a tone that suggests that sex is bad, and that you and your viewers are good. (Are you in junior high school? Do you think that we are?)
Good luck getting a job on 60 Minutes chasing down people who have sex. On the bright side, there is enough of a public interest in this sort of smear, at least outside of the more cosmopolitan cities, to impeach a president (even one who didn't torture, invade random countries, or violate the constitution and treaties).
Maybe someplace like Salem, Mass. in the 1600's would be a better market for you to grind your puritanical axe, and lead a witch hunt.
What's it going to be next week, an investigation of municipal employees who have sex outside of wedlock? The connection to public funds is more clear.
Rain Phineas Monkey,
American
"Dear Ms. Ginter-
Wow, I've heard the crappy economy is really hitting local TV stations pretty hard, but this is an amazing piece of work. For someone as anti-sex as you, you sure do an awesome job as a media prostitute! Pieces like this clearly demonstrate why people with brain cells stopped watching local news a long time ago."
But really if you do this:
"What we ought to do is follow a KOMO truck to a live remote, interrupt once the shot goes live, get our displeasure noted on the air." Dan Savage
It makes you look childish and like you don't know how to work mainstram media, which we all know you do Dan. And it really hinders other KOMO employees who have no control over Marlee and her "hard-hitting" lame ass reporting. And then the camera guy or the live truck guy get in trouble for letting some crazy person in the shot, when they work twice and hard and get paid a lot less than Marlee.
There *is* a protest underway. One with a bit of karmic justice with our own warped little twist.
At the bottom of the "Problem Solvers" main page, KOMO states "If you'd like to help someone featured in one of our stories, you can donate online now to the Problem Solvers fund." Well, last night a campaign to get donations for The Center for Sex Positive Culture and The Foundation for Sex Positive Culture was started...using the Problem Solvers website.
By specifying in their fields for "reference," "Donation Options: If Other," and "Special Instructions" that 100% of the funds payed are to be donated to The Center for Sex Positive Culture (and possibly divided with the Foundation depending on the individual's wish), we are showing KOMO that we do think the CSPC and FSPC are worthy of our donations as 501(C)7 and 501(C)3 organizations.
I see it as a way to send a message to KOMO that, despite their spew, we know CSPC and FSPC are good organizations worthy of donations. It will give money to the Center as well as making KOMO choke on writing the check. It will also have the added benefit of eventually showing up on KOMO's Financial Statements and Tax Returns since they will have to report to whom they sent any money they collected.
If anyone wishes to do the same and join the donation campaign, they can use the link to the Problem Solvers Donation Page on the bottom of the "Problem Solvers" Main page. (http://www.komonews.com/news/problemsolv…)
To make sure that KOMO does send the CSPC / FSPC the donations, remember to specify in -
"Donation Options: If Other" field: "Donate to: CSPC & FSPC"
With further info under the "Special Instructions" field: "Donate 100% of these Funds as follows: 50% to CSPC and 50% to FSPC" (or however you wish to have your donation split).
Also include the MAILING address for CSPC: CSPC 4714 Ballard Ave. NW #M309 Seattle, WA 98107
I did donate and used the reference of "Allena Gabosch Story - 11/17/2008" so there is no doubt which story of theirs is responsible. I also sent a copy of my receipt to Allena Gabosch at CSPC so she can confirm the receipt of the donation. If KOMO doesn't follow instructions for donations (since they have no disclaimer saying they would do otherwise) then they are going to be guilty of fraud.
Please feel free to spread this around as I really do think it is a great way to show support for CSPC while pointing out to KOMO the error of their ways.
And thank you so much for your support of CSPC and our community! You ROCK!
Viv.
Awesome Job uncovering the truth. You can be my guest anytime to CSPC.
Victoria
problem solvers.
she could do a story on herself. many she could find an unrelated interview to somehow make herself look worse than she really is.
if problem solvers won't take the story, maybe king's "the investigators" will... real investigations, real results
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.
Otherwise, it is an embarrassment to the news source and a detriment to viewers, whom it misinforms.
Knowing the *factual* inaccuracies and misleading misrepresentations with which this story is rank, puts into question the reliability of any news reporting from the same source.
And if a news source isn't reliable, why watch?
Join me, in branding KOMO News, with a new slogan I think they've earned:
"KOMO News: taking the 'Investigation' out of Investigative Journalism"
- H.
RD
Way to go, Dan. It's great to see a powerful voice like yours in our kinky little corner.
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