A missing answer
As another troubling saga of another missing woman plays out in national media, an equally troubling question about the coverage resurfaces:
How are these stories chosen?
When do they become national news?
When will a missing black woman command the same type of day-to-day attention?
In a comment on the continuing thread about race (we tend to have a lot of those, don't we?), govtwriter links to this morning's USA Today story that raises the same puzzling questions.
The story notes the continuing mystery of Tamika Huston, a Spartanburg, S.C., woman who disappeared in June 2004.
Her aunt, who works in public relations, tried vainly to attract the same type of media attention given to a succession of other women, among them runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks, murder victim Laci Peterson, kidnap victim Elizabeth Smart and missing Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway. "I spent three weeks calling the cable networks, calling newspapers — even yours," Rebkah Howard told USA Today this week.
There was more than a hint of frustration in her voice last year at the Unity Convention of journalists of color when PBS's Gwen Ifill (a black woman) indelicately labeled it "missing white woman syndrome."
Govtwriter cites it all at last partially as a diversity issue: As she and others see it, mostly white media executives are drawn more to stories about other whites.
You could argue also that men are shortchanged. There are more missing men in the FBI's database than missing women. And, by the way, a disproportionate number of African Americans.
The coverage does matter, say law enforcement, by focusing attention on a case and attracting important leads.
In a related development, fake abductee Jennifer Wilbanks has signed a movie and book deal.
Comments (6)
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You bring up some very interesting points. Perhaps the answer is not to count on editors to always make the right call (I certainly couldn't) but instead set down with media professionals from all over the nation and work out a system for handling such things-- a sort of fair and equitable by the book approach. I doubt it would be perfect but at least the question would be addressed.
Posted on June 16, 2005 6:38 PM
Allen - a group of friends and I discussed the exact same thing that you brought up. While all of the cases are tragic, it does seem that the beautiful, white American women get the "woman in jeopardy" media attention. With television, at least, it makes you think that some of it is like "hurricane hype" - the more endagered or empathetic the average viewer with disposable income feels(or the more they can relate to the story), the more coverage the ad-driven story is going to get. Even off the island, we can't wait to turn on the TV to get the latest vicarious installment. Billy has a nice idea, but in too many cases, sweeps and revenue are driving the bus.
Posted on June 16, 2005 7:21 PM
Even if you were to use beauty as a standard (not that we should), Tamika Huston is an attractive young woman.
So what gives?
"The stories that 'go national' all have a twist or an emotional aspect to them that make them interesting," Bill Shine, senior vice president of programming at Fox News, told USA Today.
Whatever that means.
Obviously, Huston, who lived alone and whose suddenly oprhaned dog had puppies in her absence, did not resonate with Fox. Or anyone else.
Posted on June 16, 2005 8:00 PM
Allen,
I have to agree with you entirely on this point. I have thought about the same thing many times. Occasionally, you will hear about a little black girl that is missing for a day or so, then it goes away. You never find out what happened. Then you get overkill on Elizabeth Smart (who luckily was found alive), and the girls in Florida (who unfortunately were not). As someone who deals with law enforcement every day, I wonder if there is something that makes these cases different.
For example, perhaps police believe there is no foul play involved and the case is a custodial kidnapping. This happens to both races, that's why many missing persons cases aren't as public. Or perhaps it is because there are many more white little girls than black girls so there are greater odds that a white girl will be involved in a more sinister abduction. This is only speculation on my part. It does seem that the logical answer is race related, but I can't conclude that just yet.
You recall that little black girl in Kansas who's body was discovered had no identity for several years until a few months ago. I had never even heard of the story until they were able to identify her. Compare that with the Smart hype and the unfortunate abductions of the Florida girls and the Van Damme abduction/murder. There was a bit of difference in that it appears that the Kansas girl was killed by her mother, and the white girls abductions were molestation murders. But again, your point is not lost on me.
I also wonder why the Scott Peterson trial was such a big deal. Essentially, the same thing happened here with the guy recently convicted of murdering his pregnant girlfriend and putting her body in a barrell in Alamance County. Who was Laci Peterson? Not a celebrity, yet it became OJ all over again. I guess there is a bias towards middle and upper class white people when compared to lowly rural people in the sticks. Every day, pregnant women of both races are killed by husbands and boyfriends and it isn't sensationalized.
In any case, your point is well taken and I agree that anytime a child is missing, they are worthy of our best efforts to determine what happened and to be relentless in our efforts to publicize and locate the child.
Posted on June 16, 2005 8:09 PM
Allen,
I think you know the answer to your question: "When will a missing black woman command the same day-to-day attention?" Bad news about others makes people happy. It is far better bad news to think of an esteemed white princess in the clutches of a serial rapist than to imagine the fate of one "merely" black. The worse the details, the more interest.
How can you, an editor of a newspaper, ask such a stupid question? Spend two weeks reporting on chicken migration and I'll guarantee you won't find a space big enough to contain the unsold papers.
Posted on June 16, 2005 9:28 PM
In response to Steve,
He is not asking a stupid question.
He is making a statement about institutionalized racism, and how this perception of yours
that the kidnapping of a pretty white upper class girl is worse than the the kidnapping of a poor black woman, i.e. that a "white princess" is of higher value than a black person is in fact demonstrative of this racism people have died over the centuries trying to combat.
I won't spend more time criticizing your post, and I will assume Americans have enough intelligence to dismiss your post for what it is about.
Posted on July 18, 2006 6:52 PM