Every missing persons report is a potential tragedy. You never know what happened to the person reported missing, and often missing persons investigations uncover terrible crimes. Given this, I think it is perfectly fair for the press to cover such reports as important stories. There is also a chance that press coverage can lead to the person being found, which creates a special role for press coverage.
At the same time, I am often amazed at how brazen the MSM can be in selecting what types of missing persons reports it selects as leading stories, especially on websites and TV. The missing person is almost always young; always a woman; always white; and always attractive. Right now the CNN.com home page is leading with this missing persons story, featuring (of course) a photograph of the attractive young woman front and center:
I can’t stress enough that I am not saying this story isn’t newsworthy. Every missing persons report is potentially newsworthy. Still, a person who followed the MSM uncritically might think that the only missing people in America are young attractive white women.
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