This isn't a thunderbolt against the journalism gods, just one of those head-scratchers where I wonder why a news organization can't come clean.

The story is legitimate, in TV's crime-obsessed universe: Dude with jack steals eight grand worth of spare tires out from under SUVs — and oh, by the way, similar crimes are happening elsewhere, like in St. Paul.

The very first victim is indentified as Russ Brown, whose spare "was stolen while his truck was parked at work." Later, we learn "his company put out a warning."

Guess what? Russ Brown works for KSTP-TV — the company that put out the warning.

Why didn't KSTP disclose that it was an extremely interested party? I don't know for sure; I didn't get an email reply from station officials this morning. To be fair, reporter Tim Sherno didn't name the Eden Prairie Ford dealership where the $8,000 theft occurred, though there were more details disclosed about that business than about "a company."

I understand KSTP not wanting to draw attention to its spare-rich parking lot. Still, viewers deserve to know that the station has decided to cover itself.