Sure, having sex might be a great way to go, but not adulterous sex that you get caught for — especially if you get exposed for your act in the very newspaper you work for. (NB: We’ve issued this warning before, but the message bears repeating: men banging women who are not their wives when they have wives are more likely to have a heart attack and die.) It happened to Portland Oregonian‘s editorial page editor Bob Caldwell, who is no longer here to defend himself, so we much rely on The Oregonian for the facts:

Bob Caldwell, editor of The Oregonian’s editorial pages, was in the Tigard apartment of a 23-year-old woman when he went into cardiac arrest Saturday afternoon.

The woman called 9-1-1 at 4:43 p.m. to report that Caldwell, 63, was coughing and then unresponsive after a sex act. Washington County sheriff’s officers and medical personnel responded and transported him to Providence St. Vincent Medical Center, where he later was pronounced dead.

The woman told deputies she met Caldwell about a year ago at Portland Community College. Caldwell, she said, knew she didn’t have much money, so he provided her cash for books and other things for school in exchange for sex acts at her apartment.

Caldwell had not given her money Saturday, she told deputies. They decided against pursuing prostitution charges. Deputies notified Caldwell’s family of his death Saturday evening.

Wow, awesome how they got that prostitution stuff in there. Is this an obit or an episode of To Catch a Predator? I love that show. But there is a time and a place for that. And that’s 9 PM on Sundays on MSN with Chris Hansen. This is embarrassing not just for Caldwell’s legacy, but for his wife and family. That sh*t’s private.

But the newspaper is supposed to report on facts, right? The truth and nothing but the truth? Who would have complained if The Oregonian had kept a tight lip about the nasty details and just said Caldwell died of a heart attack? Gawker’s John Cook said it best: “When that reporter for Willamette Week calls up to ask righteously, ‘Why didn’t you report the news that your friend and colleague died suddenly, and quite young, in an extraordinarily embarrassing way that is likely extremely painful to his family?’ — it’s OK to say, ‘Because he was my friend and my colleague.’”

Coook also points out that when Caldwell was arrested for a DUI two years ago, The Oregonian said nothing. So… guess the truth is only important if it’s super juicy.

[Gawker]

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