Missing White Woman Syndrome

[dumbo]

Missing white woman syndrome is a term used by social scientists and media commentators to refer to extensive media coverage, especially in television, of missing person cases involving young, white, upper-middle-class women or girls. The term is used to describe the Western media's undue focus on upper-middle-class white women who disappear, with the degree of coverage they receive being compared to cases of missing women of color, women of lower social classes and missing men or boys. Although the term was coined to describe disproportionate coverage of missing person cases, it is sometimes used to describe similar disparities in news coverage of other violent crimes. Instances have been cited in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and South Africa.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_white_woman_syndrome

I think this is worth a reminder.

This is not meant as a comment on whether or not coverage of the return of a certain missing white girl is appropriate or proportionate or useful or money well-spent, or an attempt to shame people for feeling emotionally drawn to, or prioritising certain event, other than to say that when Black Lives Matter protests are still sprouting up and The Tory government are in perpetual crisis over the failures relating to their Covid-19 response, it is at the very least convenient timing for the likes of The Mail, The Sun, The Express, The Telegraph to be able to lead with the latest developments. (It is not headlining on The Guardian and The BBC). And that I think this noted phenomena is worth keeping in mind.

Also some levity:


Didn't really want to make a thread but it saves me shitting up the all new Maddie thread.

 

[ben_united]

Just had a quick look and it is headlining on both the BBC and The Guardian. Not saying your point isn't valid though.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Not saying it’s justified but might there be more emphasis on missing white girls in countries with a majority white population? i.e. media pandering to fears that sell the most papers (get the most clicks)

Or to put it another way, does the phenomenon persist in - say - Cameroon?

Of course, the fact that white people might not relate as readily to missing black children is an issue in itself...

 

[TheReligion]

I'm not sure this is in the right forum but interesting to read. That said I'm struggling to see that this new information regarding Maddie from the British and German police has been timed specifically as a conspiracy to take Covid-19 and BLM from the headlines. It will get brief airtime and we will move on.

 

[dumbo]

Just had a quick look and it is headlining on both the BBC and The Guardian. Not saying your point isn't valid though.

Sure. I think I might have meant "leading story", I might be misunderstanding what "headlining" is. Either way the front pages:

Spoiler

 

[dumbo]

I'm not sure this is in the right forum but interesting to read. That said I'm struggling to see that this new information regarding Maddie from the British and German police has been timed specifically as a conspiracy to take Covid-19 and BLM from the headlines. It will get brief airtime and we will move on.

I'm struggling to see that too.

 

[V.O.]

I think cases like that just tick all the boxes for people (pretty much always on the political right) who love a bit of being disgusted at their idea of "purity" being corrupted.

I don't think there's any conspiracy to bury other news stories, I just think it shifts a lot of copies of the Daily Express.

 

[TheReligion]

I'm struggling to see that too.

So more the media will use this to take those topics from the headlines?

 

[VeevaVee]

I’m sure it happens, and it’s not necessarily racism but it could play a part. What exactly is this based on though? I don’t hear of many missing person cases at all to be honest, apart from the obvious.

 

[BobbyManc]

The case itself is a good insight into the privileges of class and race. Had the parents been working class and/or not white I have no doubt the press wouldn’t have given this story the same attention, nor been so kind about the circumstances which led to her apparent abduction. Whether or not the timing of the release of the new information is deliberate I do not know, I’d guess not but it’s fair to be sceptical.

 

[dumbo]

I certainly wasn't suggesting anything suspicious about the release of new information. But perhaps it says something about our priorities when a very old, repeatedly hopeless case is again (againagainagain) pulled into the spotlight at the expense of events that could potentially see seismic social change.

The Beeb and Graun coverage seems fairly proportionate.

 

[jeff_goldblum]

The case itself is a good insight into the privileges of class and race. Had the parents been working class and/or not white I have no doubt the press would have given this story the same attention and been so kind about the circumstances which led to her apparent abduction. Whether or not the timing of the release of the new information is deliberate I do not know, I’d guess not but it’s fair to be sceptical.

I think there's a decent chance that if her parents were from a council estate they'd have faced charges for neglect, the press would have tarred them as monsters and they'd probably have gotten 5-10 years each. As you say, the entire case, from the lack of legal proceedings against the parents to the massive outlay of police time and money on solving the case, is a case study of privilege and it would have gone very differently if the parents weren't white middle class folk.

 

[Bubz27]

Didn't really want to make a thread but it saves me shitting up the all new Maddie thread.

I've already done that mate.

 

[dumbo]

I've already done that mate.

Yeah but I didn't want to get told off.

 

[Bubz27]

I don't think this has been timed specifically due to current events, but it wouldn't surprise me.

 

[TheReligion]

I certainly wasn't suggesting anything suspicious about the release of new information. But perhaps it says something about our priorities when a very old, repeatedly hopeless case is again (againagainagain) pulled into the spotlight at the expense of events that could potentially see seismic social change.

The Beeb and Graun coverage seems fairly proportionate.

I don't think you can or should censor the news. I also don't think hearing about the investigation will take any significant air time away from the global pandemic or events unfolding in the US.

Not sure who actually buys and reads an actual newspaper these days anyway.

 

[Annihilate Now!]

I do find it quite something that this is still a news story 13 odd years later... It is obviously to do with the social standing and ethnicity of the parties involved, but then I don't think anyone has doubted that from the off.

Just seen on the BBC news that someones imploring anyone who was there at the time to come form with any new information... I mean really? Do you not think with all the attention the case got that every little detail that anyone who was there had has come out by now.

 

[TheReligion]

I do find it quite something that this is still a news story 13 odd years later... It is obviously to do with the social standing and ethnicity of the parties involved, but then I don't think anyone has doubted that from the off.

Just seen on the BBC news that someones imploring anyone who was there at the time to come form with any new information... I mean really? Do you not think with all the attention the case got that every little detail that anyone who was there had has come out by now.

It's more to do with the phone call and the car. Both are quite memorable really irrespective of the time past I feel.