By Hunter Walker 4/25/12 6:04pm

Backpage

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Village Voice Attorney Defends Her Company’s Sex Site At Contentious Council Hearing

This afternoon, the Women’s Issues Committee of the City Council held a hearing on a resolution proposed by Council members Brad Lander and Melissa Mark-Viverito that would call for Village Voice Media to shut down the “adult” section of its classified ad site Backpage.com. Village Voice Media, which publishes 13 alt-weeklies around the country including its the flagship Village Voice in New York, has faced mounting pressure over Backpage, which opponents claim encourages human trafficking. At today’s hearing, the company’s general counsel, Liz McDougall, spoke on behalf of Backpage and emotions ran high with tears, laughter and shouting all on display. Read More

By Hunter Walker 2/29/12 3:26pm

Sex Trafficking

Melissa_Mark-Viverito

Council Members Ask Village Voice To End Relationship With Sex Trafficking Site

Councilman Brad Lander and Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito introduced a resolution today asking Village Voice Media to shut down the controversial “adult” section of its classified ad site Backpage.com. The resolution criticizes Backpage as a “platform to traffic minors for sex.”

“Whereas, Backpage.com’s adult section is facilitating sex trafficking and should alter its current practice; now, therefore, be it resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls on Village Voice Media to shut down the adult section of its online classified site, Backpage.com, because it serves as a platform to traffic minors for sex.” Read More

By Hunter Walker 2/23/12 3:06pm

Show Me Your Tweets

My new profile photo. (via Photoshop master Richard Blakeley and Tom Selleck)

Is This Twitter Avatar Too Sexy for Politics?

Earlier today, D.C. gossip rag FishbowlDC published a post declaring “an unusual trend” developing among female “campaign and White House reporters” using “provocative, sometimes sexy photographs of themselves for their Twitter accounts.” As examples of this “trend,” writer Betsy Rothstein cited The New York Times’ Ashley Parker, Maeve Reston of the Los Angeles Times and The Hill’s Amie Parnes, all three of whom have, in this reporter’s opinion, absolutely normal, appropriate avatars.

Since Ms. Rothstein’s post only accused women of spurring this “sexy” avatar trend, I found her post to be a clear example of the objectification and double standards that have existed far too long surrounding women in the workforce. Read More