Village Voice Media has been under increasing fire in recent weeks as the City Council and the U.S. Senate moved forward with resolutions to push the company – best known for its flagship New York publication under the same name — to shut down the sex section of its Backpage.com website due to the presence of illegal trafficking among the site’s users. And, earlier today, two Manhattan Reps., Jerry Nadler and Carolyn Maloney, joined the company’s critics by writing a letter to Village Voice Media CEO Jim Larkin calling for the cessation of sex ads.

“We are deeply troubled by information from members of law enforcement that Backpage.com … is frequently being used to advertise the sexual exploitation of minors and trafficked persons,” they wrote in their letter. “Backpage.com can create a significant impact on trafficking by shutting off a major source of advertising for these criminals – the adult services section of its website.” Read More