Fox 25 in Boston created unexpected uproar this week when one of their text book ambush journalism pieces started - strange to say - backfiring mightily.
The station ran a story about a well-regarded Irish American high school English teacher and crew coach called Kevin Hogan.
Hogan is head of the English department at Mystic Valley Regional Charter School in Malden, outside of Boston.
It turns out that before he stated teaching Hogan allegedly made some gay porn movies in his summer vacation as recently as last year.
There was no claim that he was still involved with the porn industry or that he had ever made a film on class time, Fox acknowledged.
But we know what they probably expected: the same old dance of outrage and expulsion. Just assemble the pieces and watch the community erupt, right? They had exposed Hogan's dirty gay porn shame and they must have anticipated the consequences?
What Fox did not anticipate was that the majority Hogan's students (the very people who supposedly matter most in this equation) were appalled by Fox's sensational report and not the unexpected revelation. They value Hogan's skills as a teacher and crew coach and they shrugged off the five alarm news report.
That's something new in American culture. Usually you can expect a South Park style public pillorying. This time it didn't come though. It caught Fox completely off guard too, making them the news story, not Hogan.
In fact just yesterday Hogan's students started a Facebook page (the grassroots activism of choice for the under 30 set) and took to Twitter to express their distaste for the whole admittedly sensationalist expose.
Then a poll placed on Fox's own website showed that over 80% of the participants agreed with the students sentiments. They took it down after support for Hogan stayed that high.
No one is going to argue that what Hogan did is either wise or ideal, for goodness sake, but many people are arguing that he's entitled to a private life independent of his career.
Why? Because millions of Americans watch porn videos and many, many Americans are willing to star in them. Porn isn't illegal. These were films he'd made in his past. So should we to deny Hogan the opportunity to have more meaningful career now or ever because of his previous unwise decision?
Perhaps the man needs to be judged on his ability to teach and do his current job, not any previous one.
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