The missing and the media
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The missing and the media
Who in the media determines if a person gets wide scope news coverage?
People in Maine know about the Aruba case with that Natalee girl but why is her disappearance any different than others?
Who in the media decided her case was more national than the case of a missing kid in Kansas?
Some cases barely make it outside of their local area and other cases get national/world attention.
Who decides those things?
People in Maine know about the Aruba case with that Natalee girl but why is her disappearance any different than others?
Who in the media decided her case was more national than the case of a missing kid in Kansas?
Some cases barely make it outside of their local area and other cases get national/world attention.
Who decides those things?
TheNextPrez2012
Re: The missing and the media
I often ask myself the same question. I think they tend to go for the more emotive cases. If the girl is pretty, if she was sa good student, her parents have good jobs for example. Then they go for the opposite end. If she has been in and out of foster homes, if she was abused by her parents as a baby. All of these things add up. If there is nothing in the missing kid's story to add some weight to the emotion they want to foster, it isn't worth their bother. Of course as you note, any kid going missing is a sad story.
Re: The missing and the media
Exactly. I've asked those same questions before. It was like the Scott and Laci Peterson case a few years back. Why was that one so special and other murder cases were not?
TexasBlue
Re: The missing and the media
One example that really bugged me this year: there was this little boy who went missing from school. His stepmom said she took him into the school building and last saw him walking down the hall toward his classroom. She turned her back and left, didn't see him actually go in, and hasn't seen him since--or so the story goes. It now seems highly likely that she was involved in his "disappearance." BUT, since at first it seemed that this kid had been snatched by a stranger from the safety of a school building, everyone freaked out. The police department said they were going to pump millions of dollars and man-hours into finding this kid.
How many missing kids are there all over this state, all over the country? Yes, it's sad that this kid is gone, but the cops seem to be saying they're going to work 'extra-hard' finding this one kid. Why?? Because he was a huge story on the news, that's why.
How many missing kids are there all over this state, all over the country? Yes, it's sad that this kid is gone, but the cops seem to be saying they're going to work 'extra-hard' finding this one kid. Why?? Because he was a huge story on the news, that's why.
kronos
Re: The missing and the media
I saw an article on this regarding on how the media focuses on white kids mostly. The article pointed out several stories on minority kids with similar or worse stories than whatever the current one was.
Greta Van Susteren drove me nuts when her show was nothing but tragedy TV. Now she's more political. I think the audience got tired of Scott and Laci stories every night.
Greta Van Susteren drove me nuts when her show was nothing but tragedy TV. Now she's more political. I think the audience got tired of Scott and Laci stories every night.
TexasBlue
Re: The missing and the media
The job of making a decision of what stories get covered and what stories don't falls to the assignment editor who is overseen by the news director. Matt has correctly spotted the key factors behind what these persons consider a "newsworthy" story. These editors and directors know what draws their audiences and they look for stories that will drive people to their programs and papers. They look for the drama and if it isn't there, it doesn't get covered. It's a sad but true fact of the news business; they really are that callous. I was standing the news room at KTLA in Los Angeles once (pitching a story) and heard the assignment editor in a radio call to a news truck (this was before cell phones) at an accident site tell the ENG crew to "shoot the blood." Drama is everything in the news, especially TV news.
dblboggie
Re: The missing and the media
We had exactly the same situation here a couple of years ago.kronos wrote:One example that really bugged me this year: there was this little boy who went missing from school. His stepmom said she took him into the school building and last saw him walking down the hall toward his classroom. She turned her back and left, didn't see him actually go in, and hasn't seen him since--or so the story goes. It now seems highly likely that she was involved in his "disappearance." BUT, since at first it seemed that this kid had been snatched by a stranger from the safety of a school building, everyone freaked out. The police department said they were going to pump millions of dollars and man-hours into finding this kid.
How many missing kids are there all over this state, all over the country? Yes, it's sad that this kid is gone, but the cops seem to be saying they're going to work 'extra-hard' finding this one kid. Why?? Because he was a huge story on the news, that's why.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shannon_Matthews
Re: The missing and the media
And we have exactly the perfect example now of how the media latch onto stories. Anybody not in the UK been following the story of the murder of Jo Yeates? She lived in Clifton, an exclusive area of Bristol and one of the most expensive places to live in this country. She was a professional woman (an architect) in a stable relationship and a good job. My point above I would like to make again. As sad and as shocking as the story is, she would have received nowhere near as much coverage if she wasn't professional and affluent.
Re: The missing and the media
This is the first I heard of this disappearance..... and yeah, she was well to do and gets the attention. Sad.
TexasBlue
Re: The missing and the media
Her body was found on Christmas Day... about a week after she went missing. She was strangled. This morning, the BBC had reporters asking locals in Clifton how they feel as though there was now a serial killer at large and their lives are in danger. I know Bristol, and I know Clifton. I'd feel safe at any time of day in that area.
I suspect the Police already know who did it, but don't have enough evidence just yet which is why they keep insisting that people shouldn't feel that there is an increased risk of danger to their lives.
I suspect the Police already know who did it, but don't have enough evidence just yet which is why they keep insisting that people shouldn't feel that there is an increased risk of danger to their lives.
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