Immoral earnings: The murky state of classified ads in Britain's regional press

Abstract

Prostitution is not a subject that regional newspapers like to dwell on – apart from in the ‘Personal Services’ classified ads columns. This paper examines some of the brazen examples of semi-display ads promoting indecent premium phone lines and the small text advertisements to be found in a random sample of regional daily, Sunday and weekly newspapers sold in London, the North-West and the Midlands. Responses from the Home Office, the Human Exploitation and Organised Crime Unit of the Metropolitan Police and the Newspaper Society are examined.

Keywords:

• prostitution
• regional press
• massage parlours

Acknowledgments

A version of this article first appeared in the March/April 2011 edition of InPublishing. Used with permission.

Notes

Croydon Guardian, 28 April 2009. http://www.croydonguardian.co.uk

The Guardian, 23 July 2008. http://www.guradian.co.uk

Quote received from Home Office 14 February 2011.

http://voices.washigtonpost.com/fasterforward/2010/09/craigslist_controversy_follow-.html

Quote received from the Newspaper Society press office 15 February 2011.