Sex classified ads are to disappear soon from the pages of the Spanish newspapers.
The Act prepared by the Government has already been approved by the State Council. Obviously a protest has been raised by one of the parties concerned, the newspapers, very interested in this matter. The protest has been channeled through the AEDE (Association of Spanish Newspaper Publishers).
I find somewhat astonishing the huge number of pages and pages full of these kind of ads, which are published every day, specially on large-circulation newspapers. Those are much more expensive advertising pages than the average, by they are full of ads paid by word, resulting in a very healthy income source for some of these newspapers. A highly appreciated income specially in the current bad economical situation, newspapers are living these days. That is the “true mother that tries to save these innocent bunnies”.
The arguments against this ban of the classifieds on newspepers, a ban certainly welcomed by many parents with young children and other citizens, are the same as those put forward in other cases whenever the Spanish Administration has tried to interdict or restrict any other kind of advertising: The the prohibition or restriction violates the freedom of speech or that it would violate the human right to advertise any legal activity. All of them have already been used and considered. In fact I myself did it, when examining the legal ban on the advertising of alcoholic beverages, tobaco or gaming. On this occasion – at least it sounds new to me- there’s a new allegation, that the ban is unfair and discriminating for the newspapers in comparison with other media -read television – where not only sexual offerings, but even porn pictures and movies are shown, always at night, this is true.
The logical arguments grounded on the rights of freedom of speech and freedom of advertising seem logically acceptable, specially as providing these sexual services is a legal activity in Spain. It should be noted, though, that these rights are limited by the freedom and human rights of other human beings, as it has been fully explained when banning the alcoholic beverages, tobaco and gaming ads on TV and other media, for example.
However, the editors of newspapers have their right to protest and complain that neither the Government nor the State Council have discussed with them about the matter. More when this Government has always louded itself as a dialoging Administration.
The AEDE also regrets that the Government has not taken into consideration or even offer to set up a self regulation system. I must say that being my self a lover of the self regulation and self control systems, I can hardly imagine how might a self regulation system be established for this kind of ads. The same nature of this communications makes it at least difficult.
Autocontrol, the self regulation and self control system established by the industry, is doing well and effectively at the time to filter and avoid ilegal advertising.
The AEDE has its right to raise the self regulation proposal, but I do not know if many classified contact ads would pass a thorough examination under the light of Autocontro’s Code and, as I said before, I see te future of an specific self regulation code for classifieds more than muddy.
