Normally, I don’t link to press releases, but this one is kind of big. But first a little history lesson.
As I’ve mentioned many times before, Backpage is owned by Village Voice Media. Before there was VVM there was just The Village Voice newspaper in New York City. That paper was partly founded by journalist, author, and playwright Norman Mailer.
Now one of Mailer’s sons, John Buffalo Mailer, is calling on Backpage to shut down the adult ads…
“The Village Voice was born out of the desire for an independent media voice for the people, a voice that had the freedom and authority to hold those who abuse power accountable for their actions,” said John Buffalo Mailer.
“While I understand firsthand the financial difficulties facing all print publications today, the fact of the matter is that Village Voice is making money from selling advertisements that others have used to buy and sell minors for sex.””As my father’s son, knowing all of the hopes and dreams that went into the work of creating this particular paper, the Village Voice appears to have lost its way from the days when Dan Wolfe, Ed Fancher, and my father began it,”
Mailer continued. “For the sake of the Village Voice brand and for the sake of the legacy of a great publication, take down the adult section of Backpage.com, before the Village Voice must answer for yet another child who is abused and exploited because you did not do enough to prevent it.”
Mr. Mailer has also joined with the group Groundswell, which previously took out a full-page ad in the New York Times to call on Backpage to remove the adult ads.
Again, how sad is it that the paper who used to fight for the little guy supposedly is now making a huge chunk of change off of the little guy, or in this case little girls?
Real Crime with Trench Reynolds 