Posted on 07/12/2005 7:02:44 PM PDT by af_vet_rr
I have a friend who works with a Texas state agency that deals with missing people. To say they are frustrated by the amount of coverage Natalee Holloway, the runaway fiancee, Laci Peterson, etc., generate, while the families they work with are ignored by the MSM, would be an understatement.
To quote her (she does read and post on FR, however she has deliberately refrained from participating in these missing persons discussions since it's close to her job): I can survey 20 people on the street, about a missing teen from Alabama, and many will immediately name Natalee Holloway. If I were to ask them to name just one person out of the several that went missing in their community over the past week, I doubt they could name even one. It's not their fault, it's the press' fault for deciding that somebody missing from several states over, in another country, is more interesting than somebody missing in their own community."
With upwards of a million people going missing in America every year, I'm sure there is more than one Freeper that knows of somebody missing, that doesn't get national coverage and I'd like to hear their thoughts.
Its the media, you never use to get missing people stories, now its all the rage, with the hundreds of thousands of people missing we only here about two or three.
Its the same with Terri getting taken off life support system, we never heard anything about that hospital that pulled the plug on the family that couldnt pay the bills.
I guess if you have conntections in the media you get your story on tv.
It's media driven drivel. No intrigue, no media.
I think you're nuts. There are no missing people in the world other than Natalee Holloway, or whomever FoxSnooze/MSNBC/CNN/ABC/CBS/NBC/Sensationalist Tabloid News Sources cover 24/7/365/infinity.
It helps to be a pretty missing person in a beautiful location where the reporters can really get into the local scenery as they cover the story. You know, it might be more diffucult to have the international press corp to camp out at the Holiday Inn in Abilene, TX during 100 weather.
Well, in fact none of these stories are actually "national" news. They're local stories that, in the days before 24/7 news networks never would have gotten beyond the local news channel. With the advent of 24/7 news channels they now have many hours to fill every day, and so they pick up local stories and run them as national news.
The 24/7 networks only do it as "infotainment" and only have bandwidth to deal with two or maybe three "real-time murder mysteries" at any one time, so they cherry-pick the stories that they can get the most mileage out of.
That`s Foxnews for you, the "fair and balanced" network where only white girls get kidnapped, go missing or get murdered. But what do you expect from a network that only has white newscasters?
Tough assignment those reporters face down there, big risk the networks take running images all day of a sexy 18 y/o blond and Aruba.
Why is this difficult to understand?
Right now it is 20 minutes into Joe Scarborough, ALL coverage of the Aruba Missing Teen and Joe is spewing some crap about "the eyes of America" and other worthless garbage. It looks like Joe might cover this Aruba story for his entire show, AGAIN! Joe used to have a quality show when he covered newsworthy things. Now he's trying to compete with Greta Van Helsing.
I don't know anyone missing at this time (and thankfully can't remember anyone in my past), but I can imagine the feelings of anyone going through such a loss (I lost my mine to death a few years ago).
I hope that media coverage of even a few missing persons, and other atrocities, helps to make people aware that some changes are needed.
You were saying?
And I'm OK with it because of the 'out of sight, out of mind' thing.
So, Laci Peterson had WHAT connections in the media?
Lori Hackling had WHAT connections in the media?
For that matter, WHAT connections in the media does Natalie have?
What's a bunch of hogwash? I don't think we actually disagree at all. They cover this stuff because it is *easy*, not because they really need to.
Just saying there are hundreds of thousands of people missing and people go missing each and every day, why does the media only pick a few?
Its sad for the families and loved ones, but I dont think all the missing people stories deserve as much as coverage as they get.
Tell me about Iraq.
Tell me about Social sercuity.
Tell me about the supreme court
Tell me about the Plame case
Dont tell me about Tom cruise getting squirted with a water gun.
Don tell me about Janet's boobie.
Report real news.
Just saying there are hundreds of thousands of people missing and people go missing each and every day, why does the media only pick a few?
Its sad for the families and loved ones, but I dont think all the missing people stories deserve as much as coverage as they get.
Tell me about Iraq.
Tell me about Social sercuity.
Tell me about the supreme court
Tell me about the Plame case
Dont tell me about Tom cruise getting squirted with a water gun.
Don tell me about Janet's boobie.
Report real news.
Report real news.
Yeah, I agree ... they should leave the fluff for shows like "Extra" and report the "news". The real news, however, not their version of it.
Ummm ... personally, they could show boobies anytime they want. =)
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