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Following in the steps of the embattled American car industry, pornographers are chasing a government bailout from Congress.
Hustler publisher Larry Flynt and Girls Gone Wild boss Joe Francis say they will request US$5 billion (NZ$8.46bn) to save the adult enternment industry.
"The take here is that everyone and their mother want to be bailed out, from the banks to the big three," Flynt spokesman Owen Moogan told CNN.
"The porn industry has been hurt by the downturn like everyone else and they are going to ask for the $5 billion. Is it the most serious thing in the world? Is it going to make the lives of Americans better if it happens? It is not for them to determine."
Both Flynt and Francis concede the industry is not likely to collapse because, despite falling pornographic DVD sales, internet traffic has continued to grow.
"With all this economic misery and people losing all that money, sex is the farthest thing from their mind," Flynt said in a statement.
"It's time for congress to rejuvenate the sexual appetite of America. The only way they can do this is by supporting the adult industry and doing it quickly."
- NZ HERALD STAFF
