Shame on The Tribune for headlining the article about Donald Trump’s lies about sex trafficking: “Trump: Wall would halt sex trafficking.”
Small text below the headline indicates that experts dispute Trump’s statements. A photo beside the headline features a Utahn who, as a Fox News expert in sex trafficking, says, “It should be about the children — the tens of thousands of them who have been and are being trafficked into the U.S. and forced into the commercial sex trade." The word “children” will push the buttons of Trump supporters in Utah.
Trump has also made unsubstantiated claims of women, mouths taped (often with blue tape), being trafficked across the border.
Headlines exist to grab attention. Many people do not read beyond them.
The article concludes with comments by Martina Vandenberg, president of the Human Trafficking Legal Center, who calls out Trump’s lies: “The wall won’t help the victims and is absurd to use them as pawns in justifying a wall. ... The lawyers who are actually representing survivors — we don’t recognize this scenario except in Hollywood and porn movies.”
Maurine Haltiner, Salt Lake City
