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Wednesday May 14, 2008

Were we right to publish it?

Every so often, we have to take difficult decisions about what we publish; and what we choose not to. We've always taken a stance that our site users make their own mind up about the information that we publish; which is why we try never to preach about drugs, crime or safe sex. That stance means that we rarely hold back on providing information and true stories providing they are based on fact and honestly-held opinion.

But sometimes that is not enough, and we've had a engaging debate as to whether to publish an article we commissioned on prostitution. According to the Home Office, nearly one in 20 men aged 16-43 have paid for sex in the last five years; and in London that figure nearly doubles. There are about 80,000 individuals involved in prostitution in the UK, roughly the same number as those who work in the social housing sector. And although soliciting, brothels and kerb-crawling are all illegal; the actual act of paying or accepting payment for sex isn't.

So when we interviewed an escort who described how much money she got paid, how safe and in control she feels and how her biggest problem is clients with smelly breath; there was a collective expression of concern. The reality is that this is highly atypical of the sex industry; and the majority of prostitutes are there because of a dependence on income to pay for drugs, or increasingly through being trafficked or tricked into coming to the UK. Many prostitutes are victims of violence and rape whilst working, and again according to the Home Office, 75% were forced into prostitution before they turned 18, and 95% are involved to support theirs, or their partner's, drug problem.

The last thing we wanted to do was publish a story that glamorised the sex-industry, or glossed over the horrific experiences that leads people into prostitution. ITV came in for plenty of criticism over the Billie Piper fronted Belle Du Jour, and that was labelled as entertainment. But we're not about entertainment - we're here to provide information.

But conversely there are claims (and research) that more and more female students are turning to the sex industry to help fund their way through university. We're here to reflect the realities of being aged between 16-24 in the UK. The drug trade is equally full of horrific and brutal statistics---albeit the majority not in this country---and yet we publish information on drugs because we know that many young people in the UK use them.

So we have published the story. Because ultimately we're not here to tell people how to live their lives.

I'd be interested to know if you think that was the right decision.

Olly

Posted by Olly ( 11:49 AM ) Link to this post  |  Comments[4]