MEN axes sex ads

Mon, 17 Dec 2007

The Manchester Evening News is axing personal and escort advertising from today. The move follows pressure from the Government to ban such ads in regional papers because of claims they increase demand for trafficked women.

MEN Media, the paper's parent company, will also introduce the same policy for its other regional titles, the Reading Evening Post and Surrey Advertiser.

The Newspaper Society recently met Harriet Harman, the minister for women and equality, Baroness Peta Buscombe, chief executive of the Advertising Association, and other stakeholders to address the issue (MW November 8).

Meanwhile, the Croydon Advertiser says it will investigate complaints into advertising for adult services in a bid to avoid dropping the ads. The paper, part of the Daily Mail & General Trust, announced the plan earlier this month.