Hopeful hyphens - Wordsmith.org

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Jackie asked me to start this post again so here it is.
I was listening to the CD version of "Eats, Shoots and Leaves" and they mentioned that hyphens can be correctly used to prevent misunderstanding even where not grammatically required. e.g. the blue paint-jar. But what about the other way around?
The following day our local paper included information from an "anti-child sexual exploitation group."

Do you think I should send the editor a copy of the CD?

Zed: There's a tendency in the written media to hyphenate between only the first two words of a multi-word modifier, occasionally producing the effect you cite. I can't understand what's so wrong with multi hyphens

i think zed was questioning
"anti-child sexual exploitation group"
vs.
"anti child-sexual exploitation group"
(or even "anti-child-sexual-exploitation group")

the first sounds like its sexual exploitation group that is in opposition to children, the second, a group that is in opposition to children's sexual exploitation.

somewhat different meanings, eh?

Quote:

a group that is in opposition to children's sexual exploitation.

Isn't "children's sexual exploitation" ambiguous?

The children's sexual exploitation (of mice) left the mice with little time to find cheese.

I think anti-child was definitely incorrect, fwiw. I have also probably annoyed people by my frequent use of not-grammatically-called-for [rueful smile e] hyphens. I use them in typing to replace what, in speech, would be me saying that grouping of words more quickly than the rest of the sentence, to indicate that they go together.
What the heck, it's perfectly clear to me!

Judging from Helen's response I should have expanded my followup. What I means to say was, often logic would require more than one hyphen, as in the cited example, where

anti child-sexual-exploitation group
or even
anti-child-sexual-exploitation group
might work as well,

...it seems a current tendency of the media to use only a single hyphen, sometimes with hilarious consequences; whereas I see nothing wrong with multiple hyphens,

as in

anti child-sexual-exploitation group or even
anti-child-sexual-exploitation group

Never mind the hyphens - the larger issue is that the writer is not being explicit. It's child prostitution or prostitution of children.
We can't stamp it out until we call it what it is instead of soft pedalling it.
I guess you realize you inadvertantly touched a nerve!