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BY MAUREEN O'HAGAN |
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How many reporters does it take to cover a spoon-fed story about a teen-age robber? Around the same number as the story about the ice skater who conspired to put her competitor's knee out of joint did. Since WW first broke the story about Tom Curtis 10 weeks ago ("The Boys Next Door," WW, May 27, 1998), reporters from across the country have zeroed in, bringing the tale of the missing Grant High School student-body president to national prominence. Curtis, who is suspected in 19 gunpoint robberies in the Northeast Broadway area, fled when his alleged co-conspirator, Grant track star and choir boy Ethan Thrower, was arrested in April. Curtis gave himself up last week after the saga was aired on America's Most Wanted. Meanwhile, the national media are wringing the story dry. Curtis has also been featured on CBS Evening News, and reporters from Dateline, 48 Hours, People magazine, Newsweek, 20/20 and Inside Edition are poking around. At Curtis' arraignment last Friday, nine television camera crews crowded the hallway in the Justice Center, while additional reporters and cameramen covered the courtroom from the inside. Hovering on the balcony overlooking the stairs to the courtroom, the cameramen flicked on their spotlights and pointed their lenses at anything that looked promising. Then, after their subjects were gone, they tried to figure out whom they'd just captured on film. It was a classic case of "shoot first, ask questions later." Without a doubt, it's the biggest media zoo we've had since a beefy, bumbling gumshoe tried to carry out a troubled skater's pipe dream. In fact, Portland Detective Kelly Krohn has begun referring to the case as "Tonya Two." Keeping in mind that the story has been thoroughly chewed over, WW has compiled this list of the "Best of Tom Curtis." A final warning: The story is far from over. An indictment naming Curtis, along with additional co-conspirators, is expected later this week, perhaps as early as Wednesday. But Will You Respect Us in the Morning? If reporters are under any illusions about why cops talk to them, this should set the record straight. When Tom Curtis was on the run, the Portland Police Bureau was extremely cooperative with both local and national media, giving interviews, offering tips and generally being available for comment. But since the police got their man, information from the cop shop has dried up. "The guy's in custody, so it's not a productive use of our time to keep talking about it," says Capt. Greg Clark. So Close and Yet.... KGW reporters returning from covering Curtis' arrest in Las Vegas must have been ecstatic when they discovered that, by chance, they were booked on the same Alaska Airlines flight to Portland as Curtis and Det. Krohn. Their "exclusive" was ruined by the pilot, who said he would land at the nearest airport if they pulled out their cameras. Best Reason to Get out of Print Journalism It's no secret that print journalists consider themselves superior to broadcast reporters. After all, WW broke the Curtis story, and The Oregonian disclosed that his classmates partied with the fugitive on a Mexican beach. But the timing of Curtis' arrest was tailored for TV and radio. Cops collared Curtis at about 3 a.m. last Wednesday, just hours after The Oregonian gets printed. As a result, the O was stuck with a front-page article about how Curtis once again eluded police in Mesa--while radio reports were announcing his capture in Las Vegas to morning commuters. For WW it was even worse. The arrest took place exactly seven days before we next hit the streets. Dept. of Shameless Self-Promotion At the press conference following Curtis' arrest, David Okarski, who works for KOIN-TV, pointedly asked police whether America's Most Wanted helped break the case. Reporters from other stations grumbled privately afterwards at his attempt to win points with the boss. The program airs on FOX-TV, Channel 49. KOIN has a contract with Channel 49 to produce the station's local evening news. Ask, Don't Tell WW wanted to find out just what attracted America's Most Wanted to the Curtis story but was unsuccessful. Peter Gillespie, the reporter for the story, said, "The rule around here is I can't talk to the press." First Quenchers There's such a frenzy around Tom Curtis' arrest that every media outlet is struggling to be the "first" to break news. Sometimes, it's a stretch. KOIN-TV, for example, is proud of the fact that it was able to obtain and broadcast the surveillance video from the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas, where Curtis was arrested. Not to be outdone, KATU is bragging that, based on the video, reporter Mark Hass was the first to bring up the all-important "arrest versus surrender" question. (Curtis' dad says he was on the phone with his son, discussing plans for surrender, when the cops nabbed him in Las Vegas.) Thank You, Judge Larson Some listeners say Lars Larson's radio program has whipped KXL callers into a frenzy. For example, one caller last week gleefully predicted Tom Curtis becoming somebody's "girlfriend" in prison. Larson joked with the caller about the prospect of prison rape, saying he had no sympathy for the accused armed robber. Best Media Critique When Tom Curtis was arraigned on Friday, the hallway outside the courtroom was a mass of lights, cameras and swarming television reporters. A lawyerly woman in a tailored skirt and conservative blouse was sickened by the frenzy. As she exited the packed courtroom, she mumbled under her breath, "Goddamn vermin."
originally published August 5, 1998 |
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