By Stewart Tongue
YNOT – When the late William Randolph Hearst built one of the world’s most prestigious publishing empires from the ground up, he probably didn’t anticipate his granddaughter crusading against one of the empire’s most popular publications.
Yet that’s exactly what has happened. Victoria Hearst has joined a campaign to declare Cosmopolitan magazine pornographic, demanding the venerable women’s magazine be sequestered next to Playboy, Penthouse and other adult periodicals on newsstands.
Last year, 26-year-old former model Nicole Weider launched Anti-Cosmo Mission, a campaign devoted to ensuring Cosmo isn’t sold to anyone younger than 18. Weider and her group claim the magazine’s frank discussions about sex and sexuality, especially the bedroom tips included in each issue, are “too explicit” and potentially harmful to minors. Victoria Hearst, a notable voice among born-again Christian conservatives, joined the campaign with religious zeal.
“About 12 years ago, before the Lord told me to found Praise Him Ministries in 2001, I noticed how pornographic the content of Cosmopolitan magazine was,” Victoria Hearst told FOX411’s Pop Tarts column. “I telephoned Frank Bennack, head of the company, and told him Cosmopolitan should not be sold to minors and that I would like to address the board about it. He refused to allow it, and refused to admit that Cosmo is pornography.
“Sex sells, and the company does not care that Cosmo gets into the hands of children,” she added. “Since Frank blocked my access, I decided to bypass him and send my petition directly to each board member via Federal Express…. I never received a response from the company, but I had delivered the message God wanted.”
In August, Hearst and Weider voiced their concerns in person to a number of elected representatives in Washington D.C. So far, the duo has had no luck in shoving Cosmo behind the counter, but Weider claims her group found a sympathetic ear in Donald Clark, secretary of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.
“[Clark] has shown interest in this by writing to me directly and also requesting more information directly from the magazine,” Weider told Fox News. “But the most important thing someone can do, who shares my concern to protect young girls, is to sign the petition [on the group’s website].”
Recent Cosmo covers have touted racy articles including “25 Sex Moves He Secretly Wishes You’d Try” and “The Naughty Orgasm Trick Couples Love.”
The magazine’s content “meets the dictionary definition of pornography and the Material Harmful to Minors law’s definition of pornography,” Victoria Hearst told Fox News. “Nicole has received many letters from young girls who testified that they were hurt by reading Cosmo. The magazine promotes a lifestyle that can be dangerous to women’s emotional and physical wellbeing. It should never be sold to anyone under 18.
“I love my family; I love Frank Bennack,” she continued. “I do not love what they print. I am not concerned about any potential conflict with my family or Hearst Corporation executives. I am only concerned about keeping pornography out of the hands of children. I am very confident that our mission will be accomplished. How long will it take? As long as it takes. Nicole [Weider] and I will not quit.”
