Do gay magazines have a responsibility to their readers regarding advertising?

Great Debates
1

This goes with the other thread I started today about AOL.

Now, positing in advance for the sake of argument that AOL is anti-gay, does a magazine such as Out or The Advocate have a responsibility to its readers not to accept advertising from them?

I thought of this today as my copy of Out came in the mail today, AOL’s advertisement emblazoned on the grey plastic bag that it came in(a CD was inside, as if that was a surprise).

See… my concern is not only for the reader in context of letting an anti-gay service advertise, but also in the potential that exists then for these magazines which accept the ads to not be able to write news stories about said advertisers when circumstances arise for fear of losing the ad revenue.

So, do gay magazines have a responsibility to its readers regarding who they let advertise as well as advertising content?

2

Well, I’m not sure any gay person should subscribe to Out, which should be called *Out of Touch[/i.]

but if we posit that AOL’s antigay, then no, obviously no gay magazine should accept their advertising money. but how do we discriminate against AOL, but still take money from antiviral drug companies that contribute to HIV complacency by showing adverts that depict, happy, fit, poz folk mountain climbing, as if AIDS were a minor inconvenience.

Or should gay mags refuse the ubiquitous Absolut ads–after all, alcohol abuse is one of the gay community’s biggest problems.

Just wondering, that’s all.