In his latest column, Nicholas Kristof of the NYTimes continues his expose of Backpage.com as the primary site used by pimps to sell underage girls, again naming the investors who financed its acquisition by Village Voice Media and served on VVM”s board: Goldman Sachs (which dumped its investment for a reported $1 after Kristof’s phone call), Trimaran Capital, and Alta Communications.
Village Voice Media owns the Dallas Observer. Nobody at the Observer, to my knowledge, has anything to do with Backpage.com. But its profits flow upward to the people who do. I thought it would be interesting to see who is providing those profits, so I picked up a copy of this week’s issue. I chose only the most reputable advertisers and left out the random bars, strip clubs, etc. Either these advertisers are unaware that the Observer is owned by Village Voice Media, or they are blissfully unaware that their dollars are going to the nation’s leading purveyor of the enslavement of girls as young as 12 years old, as featured in Kristoff’s column. Here’s the list:
| Shops at Park Lane |
| Trees Dallas |
| McKinney Avenue Tavern |
| Dallas Market Hall |
| Dallas Film Society |
| Sherlock’s |
| KNON 89.3 |
| Dallas Museum of Science |
| American Apparel |
| Dallas Theater Center |
| Angelika Film Center |
| Fashion Industry Gallery |
| Buca Di Beppo |
| Ozona Grill & Bar |
| La Calle Doce |
| Angry Dog |
| livenation.com |
| McFadden’s |
| Don Q Rum |
| Granada Theater |
| Palladium Ballroom |
| The Kessler |
| Dallas Summer Musicals |
| Dallas Opera |
| Georgetown University |
| Gloria’s Restaurant |
| Alaskan Brewing Co. |
| Winstar Casino |
| Whole Foods |
| Aveda |
| AT&T Performing Arts Center |
| Reuse Denim |
| Choctaw Casino |
| Heritage Auctions |
| Nasher Sculpture Center |
| American Spirit Cigarettes |
| Ogle School |
| The Metropolitan |
| Lone Star Park |
| Verizon Theatre
Some of these advertisers also use a variety of D Magazine products. I love them dearly, but I also want them to wake up and smell the stench. |