Jolt
Afternoon Jolt: Mayor McGinn Vs. the Weekly
Today's winner: Mayor Mike McGinn. Today's loser: Seattle Weekly.
Digging ever deeper into the apparently infinite hole that is its defense of child sex trafficking on its escort site, Backpage.com, the Seattle Weekly put up a lengthy (990-word) post blasting Mayor Mike McGinn for publicizing several instances in which underage girls have been trafficked on the site. Calling the mayor a "desperate publicity hound," the post (authored by "Seattle Weekly") accuses McGinn of latching on to the issue of child prostitution to boost his anemic approval ratings.
Here's what McGinn had to say when asked about the Weekly's post: "I have a message for Mike Seely and the Weekly. I don't care how much ink they buy. Stopping underage sex trafficking is more important than their profits."
Citing their use of unnamed "cutting-edge technology," the post goes on to claim that Backpage is doing all it can to prevent pimps from selling children on the site, but adds that the site is simply so big ("second only to Craigslist:), it would be impossible to screen every escort to make sure they're over 18. But just as you don't shut down bars because some kids have fake IDs, the post argues, Backpage.com shouldn't be shut down just because some pimps use it to force little girls into prostitution. "If an underage student gets into a bar, you don't close down the distillers of alcohol."
Keep in mind that in the Weekly's metaphor, minors drinking alcohol== children being sold into sex slavery.
Last night, just hours after the Weekly published its defensive post, KIRO TV ran an interview with a mother whose 15-year-old daughter was kidnapped and forced into prostitution through Backpage.com within 48 hours of running away from home.
McGinn has the moral high ground on this one, and then some.
Digging ever deeper into the apparently infinite hole that is its defense of child sex trafficking on its escort site, Backpage.com, the Seattle Weekly put up a lengthy (990-word) post blasting Mayor Mike McGinn for publicizing several instances in which underage girls have been trafficked on the site. Calling the mayor a "desperate publicity hound," the post (authored by "Seattle Weekly") accuses McGinn of latching on to the issue of child prostitution to boost his anemic approval ratings.
Here's what McGinn had to say when asked about the Weekly's post: "I have a message for Mike Seely and the Weekly. I don't care how much ink they buy. Stopping underage sex trafficking is more important than their profits."
Citing their use of unnamed "cutting-edge technology," the post goes on to claim that Backpage is doing all it can to prevent pimps from selling children on the site, but adds that the site is simply so big ("second only to Craigslist:), it would be impossible to screen every escort to make sure they're over 18. But just as you don't shut down bars because some kids have fake IDs, the post argues, Backpage.com shouldn't be shut down just because some pimps use it to force little girls into prostitution. "If an underage student gets into a bar, you don't close down the distillers of alcohol."
Keep in mind that in the Weekly's metaphor, minors drinking alcohol== children being sold into sex slavery.
Last night, just hours after the Weekly published its defensive post, KIRO TV ran an interview with a mother whose 15-year-old daughter was kidnapped and forced into prostitution through Backpage.com within 48 hours of running away from home.
McGinn has the moral high ground on this one, and then some.
