Village Voice Newspaper Chain to Split From Controversial Ad Site
Posted: 9/24/2012 | By: Chris Francescani and Nadia Damouni | Reuters
(Reuters)
- Village Voice Media (VVM) will split off from its controversial
Backpage.com online advertising site and create a new company for its
struggling chain of alternative weekly newspapers and websites, VVM
president Scott Tobias said.
Backpage, which critics say facilitates sex trafficking through its "adult" classified section, has been the focus of an increasingly aggressive campaign in recent months to pressure advertisers to drop their accounts with the company, resulting in the departure of dozens of national and local advertisers, according to interviews and documents provided by activists in two cities.
Backpage, which critics say facilitates sex trafficking through its "adult" classified section, has been the focus of an increasingly aggressive campaign in recent months to pressure advertisers to drop their accounts with the company, resulting in the departure of dozens of national and local advertisers, according to interviews and documents provided by activists in two cities.