To the Editor/Publishers of the Toronto Sun

[hexter]

copy to: torsun.editor@sunmedia.ca; torsun.citydesk@sunmedia.ca


re: Statistics and the adult industry

Dear Sirs and Madame's....



I brace myself for a third part to you biased article series likely to appear in the Sun this weekend.


Although like in any industry there are some thieves, rogues and the exploited -its rare that I read such tripe brimming with lies and deceit as what is being published in your newspaper.

A free press is supposed to tell the truth, provide opinion - yes and state facts.

Your facts are WRONG. The industry like many industries in Canada harbour's some exploitation but to paint the picture that 90% of it is exploitation is deceitful and hypocritical and a lie.

I would like to ask some questions:

a) What politicians / bureaucrats are you in collusion with that have you on this smear campaign intent on turning the general public against a sub-section of society?

b) Are you pleased with results of your 1-sided reporting? I congratulate you because it seems to be working. Why do you never report about the failures of justice system to actually CONVICT citizens who are caught up in the raids on the industry? I recall a few years ago law-enforcement actually laid charges against more than 100 people and after 1 full year only 2 convictions actually were successful.

c) Are you expecting an increase in the number of harrasment incidents by law-enforcement to increase after you have a compliant public brainwashed by your lies?

d) Do you not think it hypocritcal MADAME - that you promote and accept revenue from an industry that supposedly has hundreds of victims - 90%???
When does the Toronto Sun plan to stop to accepting advertising revenue from an industry that you proclaim has hundreds of victims?

e) Why don't you send a reporter to poll those that work in massage parlours, strip clubs and escort agencies and publish the results. You must obviously promise anonomity. A true investigatation into the industry will yield results the polar opposite to the lies you are spreading now. You'll see that there is nowhere close to 90% of workers in the industry forced as slaves to work.... its ludicrous.​

As for the real people that are exploited.... I believe they exist... and it saddens me so. Albeit the numbers are much smaller than what is published. Shame on any Terb member who doesn't attempt to help someone caught in such circumstances.

To the exploiters - may the heaviest hand of the law come down on your heads severely and swiftly.



----------------------------------------
I invite all readers of Terb and those in the industry to email the SUN with your side of the story. Maybe we can convince the media to tell the truth.

torsun.editor@sunmedia.ca
torsun.citydesk@sunmedia.ca
tamara.cherry@sunmedia.ca


Tamara Cherry 416 947 2097 << News reporter writing the story.

Mod's please consider cross posting to other forums/MERB/PERB etc.

 

[Hard Idle]

Nobody is going to convince the Sun of anything, they have their own political and business agendas - which often appear to be contradictory to everyone but themselves, as you noticed with their long established Sex Biz advertising revenue - that and the Sunshine Girls are the main reason most people even pick up that 3rd rate rag.

This does remind of their Lapdancing crusade in the summer of 1995, where they kept harping ond and rehashing sensational stories to make a mainstream issue of it (they and CFTO together).

 

[Garrett]

Am I alone in thinking Tamara Cherry would be an awesome name for someone in the sex industry?

I read the articles in the Sun and my reaction was it was the *police* stating how widespread this was. Now, I am generally pro-police but it seemed like a typical government agency trying to make a funding case. On the other hand, look at all the Chinese incall places with guys banging away at women who cannot even speak English! Do they do it willingly? Who knows. Maybe both sides are a bit delusional. All I know is one underage kid or sex slave is all it takes for the cops to paint the entire industry.

I think your statement on the hypocrisy of the Sun is a very good one. However, if you really want to make the letters to the editor page, you may want to edit down (maybe they edit).

I think a good suggestion would be to have articles from an established industry worker on how the industry can work ethically and why a regulated red light district may be a good idea (assuming people think it may be a good idea).

 

[Catherine]

I just sent this in reply

""This is a completely unscientific and false assessment of the adult industry. I realize you never claimed it as scientific, however with your matter-of-fact reporting style and your complete lack of acknowledgement of your opinions being uneducated guesses misleads the general readers whom have certain expectations of honesty from the media and those whom have trust in the media/reporters to report well founded facts and well researched information. The fact that you have abused that trust to spread such lies is borderline slander of those whom have chosen this profession to support their families, education, or to just to explore their own sexuality in an industry that, on the most part, is all in adult fun. I am not saying there are no examples of sex slaves and/or under age victims in this industry. There are examples of such. Unfortunately in a primarily underground profession, it is hard to access and prevent such travesties'. The allure of 'easy-money' attracts predators such as you speak of, and in result there are nameless victims who suffer. Pimps, slave traders and even pedophiles are using this industry to gain financially and to exploit their victims. However it is not as you report; re 90%. Being an adult entertainer whom has worked in every facet of this profession, I have seen inside many of the establishments you have made reference to and met many other adult entertainers and owners. Yes I have met unsavory characters (pimps) and some of their victims and have reported it as any concerned person should. However, in my experienced opinion it is not as you report, but a much smaller sub-culture of this industry. Being as such, it makes finding the victims and predators very difficult, and not a day goes by that I don't pray that one day there will be no victims of sex slavery.

I do believe your heart is in the right place by shedding a light on a normally very dark and very invisible sub-culture, however, reporting the wrong information will not help these victims, but make them even harder to see amongst this oversaturated industry. By instilling some regulations to regulate this underground industry as well as setting up 'safe-houses' where sex workers can go with out fear of being 'busted' to receive information/resources to assist them if they are in need will be a great stepping stone in the right direction. Please encourage your readers to speak up to the government to supply and fund such types of resources.

Thank you,

Kat""


I know it's a waste of typing... The media are hypocrites (sp?), but maybe if they get enough flack they will at least attempt to write truths. I have written them before, and I will again, but I will never hold my breath to see a change... lol

BTW Hextor, can u link the article I no longer have the hard copy

Kat

 

[LancsLad]

Geez! This is the same damn paper that published an article on tbill remember! Objectivity and honest reporting has never been any papers long suit.

I forgot about that one, wonder where he is now????

.

 

[tboy]

Might I make a suggestion?

First off: don't you think it'd be a good idea somewhere in your letter to let them know WHAT industry you're talking about?

Like maybe in the FIRST line?

I mean seriously dude, I had NO idea what industry you were talking about until like the 9th paragragh. I mean, up to that point you could have been talking about sweat shops, migrant workers, Mc Jobs, anything.

That's just my 2 cents.....

 

[Hard Idle]

...It's interesting the the RCMP's crown jewel bust of pinky in B.C. has still yet to yield a single "slavery" charge. No one will step forward, because they were not slaves!

While I admit I haven't been following that case, I can say that generally speaking that argument is not convincing.

If two people are shot at a party in full view of 75 people and all of those witness insist they didn't see any shooting, does that mean it didn't really happen?

Originally Posted by hexter
...You'll see that there is nowhere close to 90% of workers in the industry forced as slaves to work.... its ludicrous.

I'd suggest that actual slavery is around 2% of the entire population of the sex trade in Canada.

Although I know prostitution articles are sensationalized with hyperbole, generaliztions & inaccuracies, I think alot of hobbyists here are also drinking too much of the optimistic, feel-good happy hooker Kool Aid which makes it easier to live with being a customer.

Obviously I agree that the majority of Pleasure Business providers most of us shop are not working in a 'slavery" scenario. But that doesn't mean they never did.

Yes there are some ladies out there who knew beforehand that this is something they wanted to do for a living, and some others who in a money crunch had a crazy impulse to try it for whatever reason and surprisingly realized it agreed with them on some level.

But lets face it, a substantial number of professionals who now ply their trades freely were originally introduced or graduated to it from some circumstance of distress.

Could have been abuse without a financial component, could have been a need to barter sex & company for necessities of life or for perceived security, could have started out being pimped to a limited circle of people by a "boyfriend" or surrogate parental figure, or compelled to pay her own or some guys street debts.

I find lately that there are to many people coming on to the board with either ignorance or indifference toward the road many of the ladies travelled in losing their fears, revulsions, discomforts and reaching a level of dissociation needed to take this work in stride.

In the case of the foreign women referred to as sex slaves, I am certain the majority did in fact have some knowledge that they were being brought here for some type of sex work and initially agreed to it (especially those from EE - everybody knows who the local flesh exporters are in each community). But it's very possible that in somecases, once they are delivered they may find the demands and conditions imposed on them to be very different from what had been agreed, with both real and perceived dangers of backing out.

To some end, I think there is a need for the occasional "cold shower" to bring us face to face with the unsavoury players in the game, to be alert and weary of them as much as we can.

 

[hexter]

But lets face it, a substantial number of professionals who now ply their trades freely were originally introduced or graduated to it from some circumstance of distress. Psoted by Hard Idle

I don't deny the existance of sexual slavery.... I object to it being painted across the entire industry. My post points to the existance of it.


It is an interesting point, I give you that. However I have never met anyone currently being forced to do the work and to give up ALL monies earned.

Regardless, I stand by my original contention that the vast majority of people in the trade do so out of choice. Albeit they maybe wish they could do something else but are content --- probably, most probable very content with the reward vs work ratio circumstances they find themselves in.

a) I would love to be rockstar........
b)I would love to teach.....

Not enought talent exists in me to be successfull in A, there is not enough of a reward to work ration for me to do contemplate B.

I content myself with writing software...... its my choice.


Kat : Below is a story link from story #2. Last week, the previous week's story is no longer online but direct quotes the one that the 90% stat are published here in Terb.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Crime/2008/02/18/4856195-sun.html

CUDOS to Catherine for leading the charge to rebut the Sun's misleading statistics. A well written and articulate letter I might add.

Secondly your point about support services for those abused in an EXCELLENT one.

 

[tboy]

"But lets face it, a substantial number of professionals who now ply their trades freely were originally introduced or graduated to it from some circumstance of distress. "

Dude, you're making the same generalizations that you accuse the paper of....

If you are using the word distress to indicate the need for money, then every single working person in Canada is plying their trade due to distress.

Sorry, but if you're going to criticize someone for being inaccurate then you should insure that you yourself are stating accurate facts.

 

[S.C. Joe]

I like to see some company or rich dude run a few ads to post that letter. Money talks, buy some ad space and start getting the word out.


If that very low convictions rate is true, that might explain these 1 sided story's about the "bad guys".

 

[skypilot]

The Toronto Sun doesn't hesitate to take advertising money from the same industry they bash.

 

[Aardvark154]

I read the articles in the Sun and my reaction was it was the *police* stating how widespread this was. Now, I am generally pro-police but it seemed like a typical government agency trying to make a funding case.

Having some experience in the land of Government Service I must say that part of my reaction was similar to yours. Our tiny five person squad is struggling against a Tsunami of traffickers and we need more staff, a much larger budget, and promotions.

On the other hand, look at all the Chinese incall places with guys banging away at women who cannot even speak English! Do they do it willingly? Who knows. Maybe both sides are a bit delusional.

I don't claim to somehow be "pure" but I do try to only see outcall SP's where there is enough languge in common either English or their's that at least in obvious matters - such as I'm under duress, I hope I would understand and attempt to help.

 

[LKD]

I've been with women who tell me nearly half the police force are her clients

 

[S.C. Joe]

I've been with women who tell me nearly half the police force are her clients

Hell yeah, those cops are men too. Thats really no surprise. You might be surprise how much they are like everybody else.

 

[hunter001]

Without going into details, and excluding advertisers, but certain things just aren't talked about here and may happen more often then the casual observer might think.

 

[canada-man]

people still reading that rag called the toronto sun?

 

[dreamblade]

The Sun is the same type of rag as Le Journal De Montreal... We analised its style when I was in Journalism school: Big pictures, scandals, sex, car crashes or sports, tiny articles, tonnes of ads. But sadly, it's the most read paper in Canada (or it was 12 years ago when I was studying). The other, "better" papers have slowly descended to the Sun/Journal's level and are barely better.

It's all about shocking the reader with the newest thing. The problem is that you don't have shocking news everyday so they dredge up some old issue and make it seem like OMG!!!!! WHY AREN'T WE DOING SOMETHING ABOUT THIS PLAGUE ON SOCIETY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and so this piece of trash article is born.

This is why I left my dreams of being a reporter and went into IT. I don't care if Paris/Lindsay/Angelina had a new baby while being released from prison while snorting cocaine off a Cambodian child. It desensitizes us from real issues, or these real scandals often pass under our radar due to non-issues as these.

 

[rama putri]

Reminds me of the EE sex slave stories but that was the CBC so it must be real.

 

[JoyfulC]

We've had the same problem with the Ottawa Sun over the years. It's just a demographics building strategy for them, nothing more.

Back in the 90s, when I was running Lyla's List, a Sun reporter pursued an interview with me. At first, I refused, but then he tried some very dirty tricks, including privately contacting some of the participants on my board and gaining their trust, only to threaten to expose private details about them. With reluctance, I and one of my advertisers finally agreed to be interviewed. BUT we insisted on being able to tape the interview ourselves.

During the interview, it was very obvious that this "reporter" already knew what he was going to write -- now it was just a matter of trying to trick us into giving him the bits of quotes he needed. We didn't give him anything to work with, and called him on the carpet at every opportunity. He was very cocky and essentially told us that he could print whatever he wanted. We admitted that was true, but reminded him of our tape. I told him that if I felt he hadn't represented us fairly in his article, I'd post the transcript in its entirety and let people decide for themselves whether they felt he'd been honest.

A few hours later, the little worm phoned me up and asked if he could see my transcript. I said sure -- right after I read his article in print.

The upshot is that it was never published.

When you hold them up to honest scrutiny -- as opposed to the biased stigma-pandering they apply to us -- they tend to fold up like cheap suits.

We also had ongoing problems with Earl McRae and Mark Bonokoski donning capes and tights in the front pages to rail against the adult entertainment industry, all the while, on their back pages, they were acting as the biggest pimp in town.

Recently, I got a call from my rep at The Sun, informing me that they no longer accept 3-line ads -- in the future, I'd have to purchase a minimum 4-line ad. But... I don't need a 4-line ad. When I complained about the increased cost for something I didn't need, I was told -- and this is an EXACT QUOTE -- "carry it forward."

So while it's obvious that The Sun doesn't have much regard for us, a business that essentially makes their otherwise weak classifieds section viable, the fact is, they don't have much respect for you guys either. "Carry the cost forward" is their idea of who should be paying for the inflated advertising rates they apply to us -- never mind that you buy their newspapers (often just to get our advertising), thereby inflating their demographics and making it easier to sell display advertising in this town.

While I've come to truly like my Sun rep, whom I've dealt with for many years now, I can't say that I like the attitude of The Sun towards our industry in general. It seems to me that they have little respect for us, but want to soak us all for all we're worth.

..c..

 

[Chimpanzeethat]

Kudos to those who spoke up and called the Sun out.

Word to the wise though...when submitting something to a publisher, take care to review your writing. Nothing causes your submission to be dismissed more quickly than poor writing.