Jolt
Friday Jolt: Weekly Tries to Distance Itself From Backpage Controversy
Today's Loser: Seattle Weekly
Nearly three months after Mayor Mike McGinn ordered the city to pull all advertising from the Seattle Weekly in a battle over the paper's association with Backpage.com—which McGinn has called an "accelerant" of juvenile prostitution—the Weekly's publisher came begging to the city, making a concerted effort to distance the Weekly from Backpage, and win back the more than $150,000 the paper lost when the city pulled its ads.
"Wanted to reach out and see if we could begin some dialogue regarding print business from the City," Weekly publisher Kenny Stocker wrote in an email to McGinn's chief of staff, Julie McCoy, in September. "I wanted to see if we could discuss print specific business and not digital business in Seattleweekly.com...and not have any ads run where backpage.com is represented."
"I know Seattle Weekly readers miss that valuable information," adding that he believes the Weekly is a "valuable promotional piece for the city."
McGinn's office stood fast and, made it clear it wasn't interested in navigating the fine line between the Weekly and Backpage.[pullquote]"We ceased advertising in your publication because of the extent to which it is supported by the sale of ads promoting sex with children."—Julie McCoy[/pullquote]
Explained McCoy in a terse email to Stocker, "We ceased advertising in your publication because of the extent to which it is supported by the sale of ads promoting sex with children."
"Those ads remain easily accesible on your site," she wrote. "As Long any such ads can be accessed from any version of the Seatle Weekly, the city will continue to find other means of promoting itself."
Boom.
Meanwhile, the Seattle Weekly and several other Village Voice Media papers have slashed editorial staff, because the newspaper industry is in the toilet.
Nearly three months after Mayor Mike McGinn ordered the city to pull all advertising from the Seattle Weekly in a battle over the paper's association with Backpage.com—which McGinn has called an "accelerant" of juvenile prostitution—the Weekly's publisher came begging to the city, making a concerted effort to distance the Weekly from Backpage, and win back the more than $150,000 the paper lost when the city pulled its ads.
"Wanted to reach out and see if we could begin some dialogue regarding print business from the City," Weekly publisher Kenny Stocker wrote in an email to McGinn's chief of staff, Julie McCoy, in September. "I wanted to see if we could discuss print specific business and not digital business in Seattleweekly.com...and not have any ads run where backpage.com is represented."
"I know Seattle Weekly readers miss that valuable information," adding that he believes the Weekly is a "valuable promotional piece for the city."
McGinn's office stood fast and, made it clear it wasn't interested in navigating the fine line between the Weekly and Backpage.[pullquote]"We ceased advertising in your publication because of the extent to which it is supported by the sale of ads promoting sex with children."—Julie McCoy[/pullquote]
Explained McCoy in a terse email to Stocker, "We ceased advertising in your publication because of the extent to which it is supported by the sale of ads promoting sex with children."
"Those ads remain easily accesible on your site," she wrote. "As Long any such ads can be accessed from any version of the Seatle Weekly, the city will continue to find other means of promoting itself."
Boom.
Meanwhile, the Seattle Weekly and several other Village Voice Media papers have slashed editorial staff, because the newspaper industry is in the toilet.
