porn reporter?

[cmotherofpirl]

L.A. Paper's Porn Industry Coverage Will Harm Families, AFA Spokesman Warns

By Mary Rettig
November 14, 2005

(AgapePress) - The director of research for the American Family Association says the recent addition of a pornography reporter to the staff at the Los Angeles Times shows how mainstream pornography has become. Last spring, Ralph Frammolino began regularly covering the pornography industry for the newspaper. He says the porn trade is too big an economic engine to be ignored.

According to Frammolino, the addition of the multi-billion-dollar porn trade as a news topic is thanks to the LA Times' new editor-in-chief, John Carroll. Frammolino says since Carroll came on board, the Times has "vamped up" its entertainment coverage; and since so-called "adult entertainment" is big business -- and legal -- the paper is "going to cover it that way."

But according to Ed Vitagliano of the American Family Association, the decision to put a reporter on the porn beat is not a surprising move from the liberal Los Angeles paper but is simply a sign of an overly sexualized contemporary culture.

"It would be the obvious next step," he says, "especially in a state like California, which is known for being culturally as blue a state as you can find, for pornography just to be considered another part of the entertainment menu."

However, because of the Times' new spotlight on "adult entertainment," the AFA spokesman points out, parents who get the paper must now be concerned about what their children may encounter as they flip through its pages. "Kids looking through those kinds of sections of the paper for the normal, run-of-the-mill entertainment that they're used to are now going to find some highly sexualized surprises," he notes.

Vitagliano says he is not sure whether the LA Times is really trying to be topically relevant or whether the publication is just catering to an industry with a lot of money so it can garner revenue. Either way, he asserts, the daily paper's regular coverage of porn industry news is still going to normalize pornography in some people's minds, and its fallout will ultimately harm marriages and families.


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[Lil Red]

we need to pray!


While we give thanks to God for the marvelous means of communication given to humankind for the service of truth, let us ask him to give everyone the possibility of knowing the truth for the proper shaping of their lives.

May priests and bishops of the Church recognize and use the media of social communication to illuminate the events of life with the message of the Good News entrusted to them by God for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord. [i]Jesus Master, hear our prayer.[/i]

May all countries be guaranteed the possibility of freely making the truth known through the communications media in the interest of human development and for peace among people, let us pray to the Lord. [i]Jesus Master, hear our prayer.[/i]

May all who own and direct the modern means of communication have the courage to prefer the service of truth to which all have a right, rather than their own personal views or interests, so that the divine plan of salvation may be realized, let us pray to the Lord. [i]Jesus Master, hear our prayer.[/i]

May professionals in the communications media - journalists, producers, technicians - aware of their responsibility, work objectively and unselfishly for the good of society and for the spiritual role of the Church, let us pray to the Lord. [i]Jesus Master, hear our prayer.[/i]

May all people of our times - especially the young - distinguish between what is true and useful from what is bad and immoral, for themselves and others, let us pray to the Lord. [i]Jesus Master, hear our prayer.[/i]

O Jesus, the Father has sent you as the "light of nations." To you we pray: enlighten us with your Spirit, so that the truth that good media brings us will free us from evil and help us to follow you, who are "the Way, the Truth and the Life." Amen.

[Dreamweaver]

Wait wait wait, so the LA Times is adding an adult entertainment section to the paper? Just like a Food or Variety section? Thats absolutely crazy. I know around here there are programs to get kids to read the newspaper (classroom projects, serial stories that run for weeks). I don't see how this is feasable. Or is it a one time special on the adult industry, the behind the scenes of stripclubs, websites, etc...?

[Ash Wednesday]

And "educated" people wonder how Republicans manage to get votes from middle America...

[Sojourner]

Dreamweaver, from the article it sounds like it added a beat reporter, which doesn't necessarily translate to a whole new section. The way I read it, the coverage would be part of the entertainment section.

It's actually a really interesting decision. Porn IS big business, and the money generated through that industry definitely carries weight in a lot of different areas. If they're going to cover it from the business aspect, it could actually be a very interesting look at one of the biggest industries in the world. In some ways, it's a smart move. Pretending porn and the money it generates isn't there doesn't mean it goes away.

People that are really into porn, though, from an entertainment standpoint are just weird. One of the video store owners here downtown was chatting with me once when I was checking something out about a porn convention he was going to attend. It creeped me out. I've never rented from him since.

[littleflower+JMJ]

[quote name='Sojourner' date='Nov 16 2005, 12:12 AM']Dreamweaver, from the article it sounds like it added a beat reporter, which doesn't necessarily translate to a whole new section. The way I read it, the coverage would be part of the entertainment section.

It's actually a really interesting decision. Porn IS big business, and the money generated through that industry definitely carries weight in a lot of different areas. If they're going to cover it from the business aspect, it could actually be a very interesting look at one of the biggest industries in the world. In some ways, it's a smart move. Pretending porn and the money it generates isn't there doesn't mean it goes away.

People that are really into porn, though, from an entertainment standpoint are just weird. One of the video store owners here downtown was chatting with me once when I was checking something out about a porn convention he was going to attend. It creeped me out. I've never rented from him since.
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then would it be a smart move also as well have a section on the business on selling drugs?

they both may be "thriving businesses" but these are not businesses you want to help, recognize or have "so successful", and not be a part of as a newspaper.

this whole reporter thing LA is doing is just to make "friends" with the business and as a result try to make us "friends" with them as well. this whole we're all on the same team, i'm a business-your a business idealism is just craziness

anythign is possible for the business if we make a home for them! whats next porn industry scholarships and funding from the business for schools and kids?

i find this whole "reporter" notion just ridiculous and absurd

porn is destructive to anyone involved with it, and should not be encouraged or normalized

if anything, newspapers need to be fighting it for those ppl and families who suffer the consequences of this business that need help

[Ash Wednesday]

In addition to reports on drug cartels, let's add slave trading and reports on how that sweatshop labor in China is holding up! That's big business, too. Woo and hoo!

[prose]

wow...

I am not surprised, but really disappointed.

[Sojourner]

Just did a bit of research to see what was actually being covered. Apparently cmom's source on this story is about 4 years late, and a bit lax on facts. Everything I've found points to this having been an established beat for several years.

[url="http://www.mrc.org/BozellColumns/entertainmentcolumn/2001/col20010904.asp"]Here's one article dated 2001.[/url]

[cmotherofpirl]

I posted it from yesterdays news section.

[Sojourner]

[quote name='cmotherofpirl' date='Nov 16 2005, 09:36 AM']I posted it from yesterdays news section.
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[/quote]
Apparently they were a little behind the times. According to the [url="http://www.latimes.com"]L.A. Times site[/url], Frammolino is now an investigative reporter. The last story I found by him was on an art heist.

[Sojourner]

Oh, and there's no porn beat listed.

[Proud2BCatholic139]

I think I am going to be sick to my stomach.

[1337 k4th0l1x0r]

[quote name='Sojourner' date='Nov 16 2005, 09:34 AM']Just did a bit of research to see what was actually being covered. Apparently cmom's source on this story is about 4 years late, and a bit lax on facts. Everything I've found points to this having been an established beat for several years.

[url="http://www.mrc.org/BozellColumns/entertainmentcolumn/2001/col20010904.asp"]Here's one article dated 2001.[/url]
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[/quote]
Well, the people in LA are slow anyways. There was a story a few weeks ago about a trend that's about to sweep the nation called 'blogging'. Read more about it below:

[url="http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=consumer&id=3549166"]http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=...umer&id=3549166[/url]

[Sojourner]

[quote name='1337 k4th0l1x0r' date='Nov 16 2005, 12:59 PM']Well, the people in LA are slow anyways.  There was a story a few weeks ago about a trend that's about to sweep the nation called 'blogging'.  Read more about it below:

[url="http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=consumer&id=3549166"]http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=...umer&id=3549166[/url]
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Wow, they were REALLY on top of that one.

[Thy Geekdom Come]

We need a :puke: smiley.