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The '''''Village Voice''''' is a leading extreme [[liberal]] free weekly newspaper published in [[New York City]], having a free circulation of perhaps 240,000 per week. It spices its commentary and articles with occasional profanity and sometimes cartoons mocking [[Republican Party]] officials, such as former Vice President [[Dick Cheney]].

The '''''Village Voice''''' is a leading extreme [[liberal]] free weekly newspaper published in [[New York City]], having a free circulation of perhaps 240,000 per week. It spices its commentary and articles with occasional profanity and sometimes cartoons mocking [[Republican Party]] officials, such as former Vice President [[Dick Cheney]].

Founded in 1955 in a two-bedroom apartment in [[Greenwich Village]] by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher and [[Norman Mailer]], the ''Village Voice'' remains one of the most influential voices of the [[American]] far [[left]]. The offices of the paper are at Cooper Square in the East Village.

Founded in 1955 in a two-bedroom apartment in [[Greenwich Village]] by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher and [[Norman Mailer]], the ''Village Voice'' remains one of the most influential voices of the [[American]] far-[[Left]]. The offices of the paper are at Cooper Square in the East Village.

In 2005 the ''Village Voice'' was purchased by a media conglomerate and there has been criticism of its perceived change in character:<ref>http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/communitydevelopment/20070212/20/2098/</ref>

In 2005 the ''Village Voice'' was purchased by a media conglomerate and there has been criticism of its perceived change in character:<ref>http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/communitydevelopment/20070212/20/2098/</ref>

==Involvement in child sex trafficking==

==Involvement in child sex trafficking==

Village Voice Media has come under fire following a number of arrests for child prostitution were associated with Village Voice owned website backpage.com, and advertising site for "call girls" and "escorts."  Underage girls were advertising their "services" on the website.<ref>http://www.newschannel5.com/story/13072226/man-two-teen-girls-arrested-in-prostitution-sting?redirected=true</ref><ref>http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/08/19/6-charged-with-child-prostitution/UPI-94681282275026/</ref><ref>http://www.keloland.com/News/NewsDetail6371.cfm?Id=93236</ref>  In 2010 one of the victims filed a lawsuit against Village Voice alleging that they aided and abetted forced prostitution, and that they had strong suspicions of illegal activity present on their site.<ref>http://ia600505.us.archive.org/3/items/gov.uscourts.moed.108973/gov.uscourts.moed.108973.1.0.pdf</ref>  A petition was started by Groundswell, a human rights group, to get Village Voice Media to close backpage.com and to cease providing a platform for sex trafficking of youths.<ref>http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-village-voice-media-to-stop-child-sex-trafficking-on-backpagecom</ref>  Operation Broken Silence, an anti-slavery group, released reports in conjunction with the Imagine Foundation, an anti-child slavery group discussing the culpability of backpage.com and the impact of its operations in Northeast Ohio and the area surrounding Memphis, Tennessee.<ref>http://www.operationbrokensilence.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Cleveland-Report-Final-Release1.pdf</ref><ref>http://www.operationbrokensilence.org/downloads/OBS-Backpage-Report.pdf</ref>

Village Voice Media has come under fire following a number of arrests for child prostitution were associated with Village Voice owned website backpage.com, and advertising site for "call girls" and "escorts."  Underage girls were advertising their "services" on the website.<ref>http://www.newschannel5.com/story/13072226/man-two-teen-girls-arrested-in-prostitution-sting?redirected=true</ref><ref>http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/08/19/6-charged-with-child-prostitution/UPI-94681282275026/</ref><ref>http://www.keloland.com/News/NewsDetail6371.cfm?Id=93236</ref>  In 2010 one of the victims filed a lawsuit against Village Voice alleging that they aided and abetted forced prostitution, and that they had strong suspicions of illegal activity present on their site.<ref>http://ia600505.us.archive.org/3/items/gov.uscourts.moed.108973/gov.uscourts.moed.108973.1.0.pdf</ref>  A petition was started by Groundswell, a human rights group, to get Village Voice Media to close backpage.com and to cease providing a platform for sex trafficking of youths.<ref>http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-village-voice-media-to-stop-child-sex-trafficking-on-backpagecom</ref>  Operation Broken Silence, an anti-slavery group, released reports in conjunction with the Imagine Foundation, an anti-child slavery group discussing the culpability of backpage.com and the impact of its operations in Northeast Ohio and the area surrounding Memphis, Tennessee.<ref>http://www.operationbrokensilence.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Cleveland-Report-Final-Release1.pdf</ref><ref>http://www.operationbrokensilence.org/downloads/OBS-Backpage-Report.pdf</ref>

==See also==

==See also==