CL on Anderson Cooper 360 tonight

shaft.drive's Avatar
There was a reporter on CNN a few minutes ago that (I felt) put Craig Newman of CL on the spot. There were 2 cases of women being forced into providing discussed, and one of them was underage.

The woman reporter asked him why he did not have better control over screening ads. He was just tongue tied. An estimate is that the Adult section of CL generates 1/3 of CL's revenue - approximately $36 mil. Of course, if CL stops, someone else will put up a website or BP will become more popular.

The dark underbelly of this hobby is that there are people out there being abused because the upside for profit is so great. The criminal element is also what the city of Amsterdam cited as the reason to reduce the number of red light windows. Obviously, from Amsterdam's example legalization is not going to solve this problem.

It amazes me how something "fun" can get so twisted in the hands of some humans!
I saw Anderson Cooper on Regis and Kathy Lee (or whatever it's called now) this morning. My goodness he was annoying. I really need to get an extra remote so I can change the channel when I lose one.

You're right though, it's going to pop up elsewhere if it's not on CL. And I don't think CL helped to force them into providing. It was just a channel they used. If Craig were to restrict the content on his list, I seriously doubt anything significant would change in this profession.
runswithscissors's Avatar
The "fall back" answer for Craig Newman is one of deniablity. " I just provide a place for people to meet online". It is kind of like the grocery store parking lot. You see the signs stating "not responsible for damage done to your car on this lot by baskets."

That deniability allows him to keep away from liability. If he becomes more involved in the process, he becomes more liable for lawsuits.
WetVelvetSAT's Avatar
Hi,

IMO, They are targeting the wrong site. Myspace is flooded with older people preying on the younger generation through music and etc..., and they befriend them to get them away from their families just to abuse them and force them into this business either on CL or the streets. I couldn't believe when my son was younger all the older people he meet from that site! It was a battle! I would tell anyone that has young girls or boys that they need take their computers away!

BTW, there was another site called crazylistings which was similar to craigslist but once craigslist adult section took off a couple years, ago, that site vanished.

Sincerely,
Wet