Dec. 7, 1992: Journal refuses to run group’s ads naming convicted johns
Men convicted of soliciting prostitutes were surely relieved when the Journal decided it wouldn’t publish their names in the paper.
Both the Journal and Edmonton Sun refused to run a local group’s ads containing the names of convicted johns.
“With this kind of ad we wouldn’t have the same type of legal protection we have when covering court proceedings,” explained Journal publisher Linda Hughes, citing legal advice.
The newspaper covers cases involving johns when the news value warrants it, she noted. “We don’t consider ourselves as part of the sentencing system.”
The Sun’s general manager David Black said the potential for damaging families was too great and the potential for error too high.
The paper also refused to run an earlier ad naming people convicted of impaired driving.
Communities for Controlled Prostitution had hoped to run ads in both publications to curb prostitution in residential neighbourhoods.
“I’m very disappointed in the outcome, but at least the Journal cited legal worries, which is understandable,” said group spokesman Harvey Voogd.
“The Sun said it was worried about hurting the families and to me that’s a bunch of crap. Wives should know if their husbands are a lethal threat to their families. They have a right to know if they are at risk of contracting AIDS or other diseases.”
Voogd said he was inundated with panicky calls from repentant johns after the group announced its publication plan. He said he hoped the men would keep their promises to seek counselling and stop “cruising residential streets.” if the group didn’t print their names. The publication campaign was now “a basically dead issue,” he added.
The next day, NDP Leader Ray Martin accused Edmonton’s two daily newspapers of perpetuating a double standard by refusing to run ads listing the names of convicted johns, when the names of people convicted of other offences run in the newspapers every day.
“This is a social issue, just come up on 118th Avenue and I’ll show you around — the pimps and the prostitutes,” said the MLA for Edmonton Norwood, whose constituency included the Boyle-McCauley district, where prostitution was a problem.
Martin said the newspapers were protecting the families of the guilty rather than the families in inner-city neighbourhoods like his own.