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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsIf Gabby Petito had brown skin, would it be the national story we are witnessing?
Last edited Mon Sep 20, 2021, 09:53 AM - Edit history (1)
White with blond hair = national story + massive law enforcement effort
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we can do it
(12,178 posts)
Walleye
(30,996 posts)And kept prisoner by sadistic bad guys. I turn the channel right away I call it blondage
Bettie
(16,083 posts)and law enforcement would have put it down to her "running away".
Amishman
(5,554 posts)Her appearance is definitely a huge factor, but I think it is a lot more than just hair and skin color.
I could see this kind of media circus happening for a woman of color - but only if she was also young and rather beautiful.
Laura PourMeADrink
(42,770 posts)Amishman
(5,554 posts)The pretty face drives the ratings / clicks, so the story gets the headlines
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)You say you can see a young and rather beautiful woman of color getting this kind of coverage ... but have you ever seen a young and rather beautiful woman of color get this kind of coverage?
Probably not, and not because no young and rather beautiful woman of color has ever been missing or murdered.
Klaralven
(7,510 posts)News editors pick the story that they think will collect the most eyeballs.
Clash City Rocker
(3,396 posts)That would be about it. If every tragedy like this got so much news coverage, there wouldn’t be time for the media to talk about anything else.
Botany
(70,476 posts)... disappear almost every day?
treestar
(82,383 posts)If it is widespread somehow, that is the story rather than the individual ones.
Tomconroy
(7,611 posts)
Demovictory9
(32,442 posts)Tomconroy
(7,611 posts)PS: Good for you. You took your shot. But you missed. Just like that hitman!
WhiskeyGrinder
(22,311 posts)marginalized populations but it definitely has ideas about what makes good entertainment.
Johnny2X2X
(19,001 posts)Far too often the families of minorities who are missing or murdered wait for justice.
There's a long list of serial killers who targeted minority women who never really got pursued because of who their victims were. The Cleveland Strangler for instance.
WhiskeyGrinder
(22,311 posts)Demsrule86
(68,539 posts)said before, our justice system is flawed...a high-powered lawyer was hired the parents...and if he didn't kill her outright...it is possible she could've been saved.
WhiskeyGrinder
(22,311 posts)Demsrule86
(68,539 posts)get it now.
radius777
(3,635 posts)that he mostly targeted prostitutes - who society/cops/media etc view as worthless.
What stories get covered is every bit a reflection of who we are and who we value as a society.
Remember the shooting in GA a few mos ago that targeted Asian women/sex workers - how the police spokesman said the suspect 'was just having a bad day'.
Johnny2X2X
(19,001 posts)And her being pretty is a big reason this is a story too.
I've heard people say it's a story because of the peculiar circumstances around it, but what's so peculiar about the circumstances? Her and her fiance were on a trip and not getting along and he killed her and left her body in the forest and then lawyered up rather than talked to the police. I don't see anything remarkable at all with this case which is probably similar to many domestic assaults turned to murder.
Thousands of people go missing every year. Hundreds of them were killed by their significant other. I guarantee there are cases being investigated right now similar to this one. Where a couple is together and then one of them goes missing and the other one won't talk. Happens all the time.
The American media and law enforcement values the lives of pretty white girls more than the lives of minority women or women who are unattractive. The media wants to sell the sex angle on any case like this, law enforcement are just filled with sexist and racist norms for investigating cases like this.
LeftInTX
(25,200 posts)Her life and travels were documented on Youtube.
Johnny2X2X
(19,001 posts)Doesn't seem like enough followers to be a "star". This wasn't some national level social media star, this was someone who had a little Youtube channel that she didn't have enough followers to begin monetizing it yet.
LeftInTX
(25,200 posts)A lot of it was copied and spread on Tik Tok. Other young women are the ones sharing.
Although you have a right to be upset that the media is covering the murder of a young white women, it is what it is.
Celerity
(43,238 posts)Demsrule86
(68,539 posts)Van life, mobile homes, etc are very popular. I follow a family with an autistic child myself...read every post...if you ask me why I couldn't tell you...it is a decorating, cleaning kind of thing and I love it.
womanofthehills
(8,685 posts)Two other white women were killed at a nearby campsite the week before Gabby - in Moab - one of the women was Kylen Schulte who was only 24 and just as beautiful as Gabby - her partner, Crystal Turner was a pretty woman in her 30's. Both were found near their campsite half clothed and shot multiple times -but even though the FBI is on the case - they have no videos, no suspects - which makes a case hard to sustain on the news. With Gabby we have SO MUCH video including police stops where we see a woman probably being gas lighted by a man. We also might not of heard much about the Kylen Schulte/Crystal case if Gabby & Brian had not gone into Moab and for a time the press said the murders could have been connected. So, it's not just about being pretty & white - you needs lots of video and a story line and a known suspect. I went over to "Websluths" to see what the story was about Kylen and Crystal - so little info on the case so very few discussing it while thousands of posts about Gabby & Brian.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/moab-murders-crystal-turner-kylen-schulte
radius777
(3,635 posts)who much of society/media/cops still view as degenerates and not worthy of their focus.
Celerity
(43,238 posts)
8 days ago their video had 1080 views
radius777
(3,635 posts)the media apologists who are bending over backwards to latch onto that - shows how blind many are to the underlying truths of society.
They were not social media stars but just regular people vlogging etc just like anyone else. She became a star once she went missing, which is the very thing people like us are asking - why? Sure her case deserved attention, but so do the countless others who for what ever reason don't fit the media's idea of who matters.
NH Ethylene
(30,806 posts)There are a lot of these kinds of dramas covered in the media all the time, and I just can't muster more than a passing interest toward most of them.
Seeing her in the police video made me care about what happened to her. She was young, vulnerable and miserable. She could've been my own daughter. Then the fact that she was missing made it a mystery. I love mysteries! The boyfriend's complete refusal to even say where he last saw her made me furious. As a bonus, her parents were not just missing their daughter; they were being obstructed in the quest to find her. They could have been me and my husband.
These were all the ingredients of a good 'news' story: Sympathy with the victim + a mystery to be solved + emotional response toward the culprit & situation - all added up to a riveting story for the media to run with.
LeftInTX
(25,200 posts)God, their mom is getting away with murder...This gets me so mad...
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/chad-daybell-children-claim-he-was-fooled-lori-vallow-48-hours/
honest.abe
(8,647 posts)Also I think alot of women feel some connection with this girl in that they may have gone through similar DV situations. What also make this compelling is that there is so much information with videos and pictures of Gabby. Its easy to get caught up in the story.
Plus the fact it is so infuriating that he never contacted her parents to tell them what's going on and why left her there and took her van.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)Lots of young pretty Black and brown women go missing in our murdered everyday without any coverage close to this.
honest.abe
(8,647 posts)If everything was the same and she was black or Hispanic or Asian I think its still a big story.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)Can you point to anytime in the last, say, 20 years, in which the media has accorded this kind of coverage to the disappearance and murder of a Black woman?
If not, there is no basis to say that, all other things being equal, the media would have covered this case the same if it involved a woman of color.
The reason so many people are pointing out this discrepancy is because we have seen over the years exactly how that discrepancy plays out. Some people may not have noticed it before because they just don't think about these kinds of things until it's brought to their attention by people who are more likely to be see and be affected by it.
This is one of those instances where it's being brought to people's attention. I urge you and others to consider it rather than immediately pushing back on it claiming we're wrong.
honest.abe
(8,647 posts)She's not black but also not white which was the point of your original comment.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Vanessa_Guill%C3%A9n
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)honest.abe
(8,647 posts)I will drop off this thread as I know you are mostly correct but I just think this case is unique regardless.
RestoRay
(23 posts)Most of the stories are about white women because they are the majority of women. Like 50,000,000 more than any other race. Why do you expect the coverage to be equal when the numbers are so lopsided?
Laura PourMeADrink
(42,770 posts)JI7
(89,244 posts)posting about her on their social media trying to get attention for a while before the media picked it up.
But even then it wasn't reported in the same way as the case with Gabby is .
RAB910
(3,494 posts)LeftInTX
(25,200 posts)And probably is factor in renaming some of those installations.
MVP Kamala
(1,235 posts)Latina, it wouldn’t have been covered. Plus, her story didn’t even get THIS much coverage
However, there was a Dateline episode about her.
NH Ethylene
(30,806 posts)I have been encouraged lately to see a few cases where kidnappings of black or Hispanic children got coverage. Is there light at the end of the tunnel?
We care most about crime victims who we can relate to. The question is, when will we all feel so integrated that we can relate to people regardless of color simply because we are all humans? When does color become a secondary feature? an aside?
womanofthehills
(8,685 posts)doing handstands, kissing, running along the water - all that stuff American advertising is made of. It was a made for film type of murder. No matter how many social media followers Gabby had, over on TicToc thousands of kids are doing what Gabby & Brian were doing - becoming media stars while traveling the country in their cars/vans. So, what they were doing was a dream for many kids.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)So the "thousands of people among a few hundred million knew who Gabby was" excuse for covering her case while ignoring missing and murdered Black and brown women fails.
It's really interesting that some folks here are going through this much trouble to deny the fact that media coverage is driven by the same racial biases that exist in the rest of the country.
This is another example of how many progressives are willing to admit that racism exists in America, but will consistently and vigorously deny that racial bias or racism are ever at play in the specific circumstance being discussed. It says if they fear that admitting bias is present in a particular instance somehow makes them complicit in it and, therefore racist themselves, which certainly isn't the case.
Johnny2X2X
(19,001 posts)And some of those other missing also have modest followings on Youtube and other social media.
Doesn't mean this shouldn't get some coverage and doesn't mean this isn't a horrible tragedy. But the fact is that this is a young pretty white girl, so the media is going into overdrive. I feel just as bad for the girl and her family as if she was not getting this attention.
And the reason why this is a hot button issue to many, is there are countless stories of missing black and brown girls whose families can't even get the local media much less the national media to care. There are thousands of missing people right now, their families are desperate to find them and the media only has time for pretty white girls.
We live in a society that values people based on their looks, their race, and their upbringing. That's what's on display here and what is upsetting people.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)At the people here showing anger and resentment that this is even being brought up. For some reason, even in progressive circles, the discussion of race or even an implication that racial bias could be at play in various situations, triggers a pushback that still surprises me.
Johnny2X2X
(19,001 posts)Watch, they'll be calling people complaining about the disparate coverage of this case "woke" pretty soon.
And honestly, the family is devastated right now I am sure, the last thing they need at this time is hoards of reporters descending on them.
It's a media frenzy, the only thing that would make it more of a media frenzy is if the pretty white girl was sexually assaulted before she was murdered. It's all just an indication of how sick our culture is in America.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)If we just stopped complaining and making everything about race, all would be well with the world.
Johnny2X2X
(19,001 posts)And none of this means I have even one ounce less compassion for Gabby Petito and her family. What happened to her was a tragedy and I hope they lock up her murderer forever.
They want people to stop pointing out racial injustice and inequalities in the media, so they can be like Chief Justice Roberts and pretend that there's no racism anymore.
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)But if someone as cloistered as I am sees that merely discussing race is often defined as itself racist, I am forced to agree with you.
When I realized that a LOT of people were more offended by being called a racist than they were by actual racism, a veil was lifted and I finally began to see. The murder of Trayvon Martin, and may of its responses (even on DU) was my Come-to-Jesus moment.
I then realized so many non-POC on the (alleged) left pretend offense themselves at the expense of actual offensive behavior, and I began to suspect that honesty was being sidelined in favor of an All Lives Matter, Karen's-Just-As-Oppressed-As-You marketing campaign.
ShazzieB
(16,347 posts)...but at the same time have a very limited understanding of what racism actually is and the myriad ways it manifests itself and permeates our society.
I think white people associate the word "racist" with the very overt, in your face stuff life turning firehoses on civil rights demonstrators or cops beating the crap out of the marchers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Everybody (except extremists like neo nazis and white supremacists) knows that shit is wrong!
And now we teach kids about the civil rights movement in school so they will understand what some of the abuses of the past were like and that they were terrible. I think that's a good thing as far as it goes, but it doesn't go nearly far enough. We don't teach kids that racism is SO much more than that stuff, we don't teach them about what a complex issue it is, much less how someone can be racist without even knowing it, even if they have black friends and even if they don't consciously feel any ill will toward people of other races.
So these people grow up thinking they know what racism is and they will agree that it's bad, but they actually have only a very superficial understanding of it. When they (almost inevitably) say something racist or behave in a way that reveals a racist attitude, getting called on it makes them feel attacked and insulted, because they've been taught all their lives that racists are very, very bad people, and THEY are not like THAT! And the door slams shut on any further dialog. *sigh*
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)The kind of racial bias we're discussing in relation to press coverage is a perfect illustration of institutional racism. No one lays claim to it because no one is actively saying "we don't like black women." It just happens that circumstances that are "no one's fault at all" are responsible for the way women of color are ignored by the media.
Instead, the excuse is that the media isn't purposely discriminating against black women, but it just happens that black people are such a small percentage of the population, the media has no reason to cover black women the way they cover white women. Putting aside the fact that that makes absolutely no sense - That's like saying that sports coverage should focus almost exclusively on white athletes because black people are a minority of the population - And also with heels they disturbing tendency among some white people to ignore and dismiss racial bias even when it's obvious and grass for any excuse, regardless how ridiculous, to explain racial disparities.
That's how institutional racism works.
Thanks for your thoughtful post.
TheProle
(2,161 posts)5 minutes on Google (News> "Missing woman" ) shows a number of stories about missing minority women:
https://abc13.com/missing-woman-ashley-guillory-texas-equusearch-man-arrested/11029273/
https://www.fox6now.com/news/critically-missing-woman-on-citys-south-side-police
https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/18/us/mary-johnson-davis-missing-tulalip-fbi-10000-reward/index.html
https://www.portlandoregon.gov/police/news/read.cfm?id=351972
https://boston.cbslocal.com/2021/09/13/missing-woman-iliany-nunez-lowell-chelmsford/
https://www.fox5vegas.com/news/missing-womans-body-found-in-desert-south-of-las-vegas-police-say/article_554a8582-14dd-11ec-8447-4b2d576ab290.html
https://www.wreg.com/news/local/memphis-police-issue-city-alert-for-a-missing-woman/
Nothing is stopping anyone, on DU, on Twitter or elsewhere, from amplifying these stories, including leaning on news outlets to do the right thing.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)DU is not national media.
TheProle
(2,161 posts)for correcting me.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)treestar
(82,383 posts)I don't think a good looking young black girl in similar circumstances would go unnoticed.
There are far fewer black women than white women too. No reason to assume there are so many as if the populations were 50/50, which is what most of this is assuming. There could be some disproporation from that there are even fewer black women proportionately middle class and likely to have a camper van and driving across the country documenting it.
Still, it's cold towards this girl to be so focusing on this rather than her. She doesn't matter, or what? We're to be jealous on racial grounds that the news finds her interesting? This does not look good in general and feeds racial animus to no effect.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)You are desperately pointing to all manner of factors unrelated to actual newsworthiness to explain why this particular case is getting so much coverage. Why is it so hard to just acknowledge that race may also be a factor?
MVP Kamala
(1,235 posts)and see this storyline play out.
I’ve heard that there’s this much coverage because the story unfolded in multiple states? Two states? Whatever
Her appearance is the ONLY factor
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)And an important feature of that appearance is her skin color.
SallyHemmings
(1,821 posts)
Kablooie
(18,619 posts)The news has pushed her story way out front simply because she's blond, pretty and white. The story should be a page 2 or 3 story, not headline news. If she was black it would been a few lines when she was missing and a few more when her body was found.
Lulu KC
(2,565 posts)If that.
GoCubsGo
(32,078 posts)There was one national story on a missing African-American girl earlier this year. But, I don't ever recall seeing any others, let alone one about a missing Hispanic, Asian, or Native American girl or woman. Or, an overweight or unattractive white woman, for that matter. People claim it's all about the ratings, but how would anyone know that there would be no interest in these women's stories, when we don't even get to hear any of them in the first place? I guess the networks think everyone is shallow and racist?
NH Ethylene
(30,806 posts)StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)And then using that as an excuse for continuing to present biased coverage.
Reminds me of people who said they weren't supporting Obama or Hillary Clinton, not because they wouldn't vote for them, but because they were sure they couldn't win because... "other" people wouldn't vote for them.
GoCubsGo
(32,078 posts)treestar
(82,383 posts)are more white people.
There are very few Asian people, percentage wise, in the US. Even fewer Native Americans, I would think. So the odds it happens to someone with a mystery involved too (the runaway fiance) are just not that great.
GoCubsGo
(32,078 posts)That's not exactly trivial. Nor, is the proportion of the white population that does not fall under "20-30's, attractive, female." I'm sure a whole bunch of those missing from outside the "young, attractive white females" involve mysteries, as well. Yet, we rarely, if ever hear about any ofthem. The ones we DO hear about are the actual minority.
treestar
(82,383 posts)in most cases, and young.
Someone was minimizing her you-tube number of followers, but such as she got were enough - and if she weren't pretty, she may not have had that number.
Looksism is probably the biggest factor. A very pretty woman of color would probably get the attention too.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)Being attractive is certainly one of the factors, but being white is the primary criterion.
Last edited Mon Sep 20, 2021, 10:06 AM - Edit history (1)
But she would have to be cute and from a middle to upper middle income home.
Also the couple would had to have blogged their way across the country and regularly taken photos and footage that would illustrate their trip. All this footage has been used to tell the television story of gabby and her boyfriend.
There are plenty of young African American women who meet this criteria. And there are plenty of young black men who could have been the Janusian boyfriend.
I know because I had them in my classes at the university.
On edit: and there are star crime reporters who would pick right up on this—Tamron Hall has her own crime show.
Even people like Gayle King or Oprah would recognize the appeal of this story and give it the boost it would need. From there it would take off.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)
NJCher
(35,643 posts)there are plenty of them. So many that I cannot even begin to recount them. Perhaps you're unaware that the crime show genre is at an all-time high.
However, if your question is confined to the larger networks, then I can't think of any. That doesn't mean there are none; I don't watch every story.
However, the question is disingenuous. What I think you are really trying to say is history does not support me.
What I am saying to you is that my answer assumes that people change, networks change, stereotyping changes. The time is right for such a story, but I would not wish that story on anyone. Let's hope this never happens to a young African American woman.
I'm forward thinking in terms of how news coverage changes; I'm not assuming everything is going to be like it's been in the past.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)We're talking about massive 24-7 national media coverage.
Nothing disingenuous about my question. Your inability to answer it proved my point.
NJCher
(35,643 posts)the answer is qualified. See if you can spot the qualifier.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)And saw the "qualifier" - which you qualified with the completely irrelevant lede.
NJCher
(35,643 posts)What is the qualifier? If you fail to answer, I'm going to assume (again) that you don't know what you're talking about.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)that I recognize that engaging in such a foolish back and forth with you is a waste of my time. In that case you would be correct.
FYI - if I'm discussing a topic, you can rest assured that I do indeed know what I'm talking about. Not because I know everything about everything, but because I don't engage in discussions on topics of which I am unfamiliar or lack knowledge. Unlike some here, I reveal my lack of knowledge about topics by not talking about them. If it's something I'm not interested in, I just ignore it and move on to something else. If it's a topic I'm interested in, I read and listen to others without comment in hopes that I can learn something from them.
I find it's a good practice.
Have a good day.
NJCher
(35,643 posts)you do not know what a qualifier is.
Glad we settled that.
Demsrule86
(68,539 posts)think and get out of abusive relationships before it is too late...as a teen, I married a guy I never should have...very naive. I was still a child really. I am lucky to be alive. Somehow I found the courage to tell my Mom and Dad the truth about what was happening. They never liked him and begged me not to marry him...but I knew it all at 18...Mom wired money and I left right away with my child and what I could carry...we were living way out in WVA no phone even. A neighbor let me use her phone...called my Mom collect. I was happily divorced by the time I was 21. I hope that all women in this situation-white or black see themselves in this story and get the hell out of Dodge before it is too late.
Etherealoc1
(256 posts)I could not understand why there
was so much focus on this story
as opposed to the many women who
go missing every day.
Hmm
Demsrule86
(68,539 posts)But these two were bloggers and YouTubers remember.
Etherealoc1
(256 posts)but you managed to provide some
insight.
She was a youtube influencer with a minor following.
Demsrule86
(68,539 posts)But it is a damn shame no matter what.
Celerity
(43,238 posts)StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)Apparently, raising this question is some kind of an attack on Gabby Petito and a diminishment of the tragedy that occurred to her...
Or, could it be another example of attempts by some people to shut up and shut down any discussion about race and racism?
Johonny
(20,827 posts)I think any attractive Internet influencer might have set off this type of story. The hook in the story is the small about of fame she had before going missing and the mountain of Internet evidence she left behind.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)How many missing/murdered black women have you seen get this kind of coverage in the last 20 years? Can you name any?
How many of the missing white women whose murders were covered 24/7 over the last 20 years were any kind of "influencers" or were in any way famous or prominent before they're disappearance?
And it's a stretch to call her 'an influencer" - She was a very minor league YouTube personality whom the vast majority of the country had never heard of until her tragic case became a media swarm.
EX500rider
(10,829 posts)..as they are around 7% of the population.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)Unlees you know the breakdown by race of the victims of kidnappings and murders or the percentage of kidnapped and murdered women who are young and pretty, citing proportions as you have is irrelevant.
Of course, it doesn't help that your numbers are wrong. Black women comprise approximately 13 percent of the population while women of color comprise 36 percent.
Nice try, though ...
EX500rider
(10,829 posts)Black or African American 13.4%
Only half of that percentage would be female.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_and_ethnicity_in_the_United_States
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)Black women comprise 13% of women in this country, not the overall population. Since we're talking about How women are covered - not how the overall population is treated in the media - that is a more relevant figure
But even that is not a very helpful proportion to look at. We're not talking about all women - We're talking about how women who are the victims of kidnapping and murders are being covered. Unless you know the percentages of black women who are kidnapped and murdered as a percentage of all women who are kidnapped and murdered, you should stop trying to use proportions as a justification for the media consistently ignoring the former.
NH Ethylene
(30,806 posts)For women of color, when have we even seen 13% of these media frenzy stories to be about black women?
I can't even think of one (although I don't pay a lot of attention to these unless they're local or unique in some way).
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)I can't believe I'm seeing progressive people defend this.
EX500rider
(10,829 posts)So if you don't know those figures why are you complaining about it?
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)since I don't think and haven't claimed a demographics' proportion of a population should or does determine whether they should be covered by the media) and I haven't cited statistics that are irrelevant to the discussion.
The people who are making that argument should produce the numbers they claim that argument is based on.
EX500rider
(10,829 posts)I was fine with % by race and had the figures for that, you haven't presented any facts that show abductions happen more often to minorities.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)I told you that if YOU think the coverage should be based on the proportion of the population, you need to use the right denominator (i.e., the correct population) to determine the proportion, since basing it on the population as a whole makes no more sense than deciding how much coverage to give Black basketball players based upon Black people's percentage in the overall population.
But since you want numbers, here are some numbers for you:
According recent crime statistics, white women (including Hispanic women) make up 59 percent of missing women while Black women make up 34 percent.
So, using your standard, 34 percent of the media's saturation coverage of missing women should be focused on Black women. Instead, pretty much 100 percent of the coverage is on white women, far out of proportion to their representation in the relevant group.
Source:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/240396/number-of-missing-persons-files-in-the-us-by-race/
https://blackandmissinginc.com/statistics/
womanofthehills
(8,685 posts)RAB910
(3,494 posts)Petito would not have been considered an Instagram influencer before she disappeared—she had fewer than 1,000 followers—but since her disappearance, her account has gathered nearly 200,000
Johonny
(20,827 posts)She had the material out there to make it easy for the media to hype her disappearance.
It’s a horrible thing that happened to her.
But no.
treestar
(82,383 posts)It is sad people are using this instead of thinking of her.
Going missing alone is not news. If it involves someone known by a lot of people, maybe. But if there is a mystery and a missing potential perpetrator, that makes it interesting.
The biggest news item of the last few years might be when the Boston bombers were at large. Anything could happen, so people paid attention to it. Similar with the fiance here.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)And since few of any of them missing white women who received saturation coverage had YouTube pages or internet followings, or were in any way famous or prominent before their tragedies, it's hard to argue that that her "fame" is the reason this young woman is getting this kind of coverage. That's never been a criterion in the past. The common denominator in the coverage of these kinds of cases is that the victim be young, pretty, and white. The YouTube fame here is just an added bonus for the media.
RAB910
(3,494 posts)Petito would not have been considered an Instagram influencer before she disappeared—she had fewer than 1,000 followers—but since her disappearance, her account has gathered nearly 200,000.
https://jezebel.com/gabby-petito-is-missing-and-instagram-is-obsessed-with-1847690213
treestar
(82,383 posts)too, I am thinking.
Though why follow her when she has disappeared and not making posts - or has someone taken over?
BannonsLiver
(16,342 posts)Warring grievances from every demographic.
BannonsLiver
(16,342 posts)
Baltimike
(4,140 posts)It wasn't a national story until their channel's followers made it one. I remember thinking this exact thing too....had these been black folk, CHRONICLING THEIR VENTURES WITH A SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWING, it would have generated this response...with this exception: had the boyfriend been black, he would have been arrested for grand theft and held without bond.
But the coverage came from their channel and people who are into 'the van life' and the like.
RAB910
(3,494 posts)Petito would not have been considered an Instagram influencer before she disappeared—she had fewer than 1,000 followers—but since her disappearance, her account has gathered nearly 200,000
https://jezebel.com/gabby-petito-is-missing-and-instagram-is-obsessed-with-1847690213
Baltimike
(4,140 posts)They got this on the radar
phylny
(8,375 posts)outside of Charlottesville spent years searching for Alexis Murphy, her picture everywhere, with officials never stopping their search until her remains were found years later. See the final paragraph in this post.
https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2021/02/17/remains-of-nelson-county-teen-alexis-murphy-found-seven-years-after-her-murder/
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/remains-of-missing-teen-alexis-murphy-found-in-virginia-seven-years-after-her-murder/ar-BB1dLTCh
https://wtop.com/virginia/2021/03/alexis-murphys-killer-led-authorities-to-her-remains-remains-focal-point-in-virginia-murder-of-samantha-clarke/
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/dailyprogress/name/alexis-murphy-obituary?pid=197892147
The family wishes to extend our love and gratitude to everyone who has extended any act of kindness in the past seven years and presently. A special appreciation to all Law Enforcement, The Nelson County Sheriff's Department, The Virginia State Police, The FBI and The Virginia Department of Emergency Management for never giving up until Alexis was returned home. We are deeply indebted to former Commonwealth Attorney Anthony Martin, you became Alexis' voice when hers was silenced.
Shanti Shanti Shanti
(12,047 posts)Sex and murder, there's a TV show series called that yaknow
Wingus Dingus
(8,052 posts)But no, if she were older, less cute, darker-skinned, etc. no one would care. It would stay a local story. Near where I live a middle aged woman disappeared in the mountains over a year ago, and that pretty much stayed a local/state level story. No one cares about people in their 40s and older.
RestoRay
(23 posts)The US is 60% white and only 13% black. There are about 100,000,000 more white people than black people. Any story about a white girl(or white people in general) is going to get more attention because there is a much, much larger audience for it.
The second thing is that when a black or brown woman goes missing, it’s usually a black or brown man who is responsible. Fox News might want to talk about those stories all day but would we? Remember Jazmine Barnes, the young black girl killed in TX? That got a lot of media attention when the initially story was that she was killed by white men. When we found out the killers were black, interest dropped like stone. Shaniya Davis is another example.
joetheman
(1,450 posts)
marble falls
(57,055 posts)RestoRay
(23 posts)I want their killers to be caught and punished. I’m interested in getting justice for these victims. True Crime journalism though, I’m not very interested. It’s too predictable.
marble falls
(57,055 posts)... woman is a victim of crimes or to be murdered? Why aren't more of the poster child/victims women of color? Why are they almost always upper middle class?
RestoRay
(23 posts)30% of America’s population are white women vs 6.5% who are black women. In other words, there are about 50,000,000 more white women. The numbers are why these stories get more attention.
marble falls
(57,055 posts)RestoRay
(23 posts)The white audience for these stories are just a lot bigger than the black audience. Do black people have a lot of interest in stories about missing white women? Probably not, and I don’t think that is racist either.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)those people are the same race as their audience?
You don't think they should cover stories about murdered black women because most of the audiences white?
And if you think that's how they approach their news decisions, you think that's not racist?
RestoRay
(23 posts)There’s might be a racial element to that. But it’s no more racist than black people not watching Seinfeld.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)You think the media deciding what stories to cover based on the race of the people involved does not evidence racial bias or if it does, "it's no more racist than black people not watching Seinfeld"?
Wow.
This is entire discussion today has been fascinating and very revealing.
Folks on this board day and night criticize the media for all manner of bias. But the minutes someone suggests that one of those biases might be racial, folks circle the wagons and defend them, insisting that they couldn't possibly be engaging in any racial bias or racism, sometimes using arguments so laughable it's hard to believe anyone actually read them before posting.
Tribalism is a very real and interesting thong.
RestoRay
(23 posts)People are trying to explain to you that one tribe is 5X larger than any of the others and that is why there are more stories about them.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)the number of kidnapped and murdered women of color?
If so, please present them. If not, your excuse that this is all about proportions of the overall U.S. population doesn't hold up.
RestoRay
(23 posts)I would think that the numbers are similar to their respective demographics(i.e. 13% of female victims are black, give or take a couple percentage points). I tried searching for it myself but couldn’t find any source that break down female homicide victims by race.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)And since Black people are often overrepresented in many areas and underrepresented in others, assuming without statistics creates a false premise.
If you're going to argue that the failure to cover violence against black women is because black women represent a smaller percentage of victims, you need to at least present some proof of what that percentage is.
But even then, that's not enough. People are claiming that this has nothing to do with race be sure the fact that the women who get most of the attention are young and pretty. Yet they offer no proof that young pretty women represent a larger proportion of women victims than older not so attractive women. And they also offer no proof that young pretty black women are ever given this kind of attention.
People can make all the excuses they want for why The media focuses this kind of attention on missing and murdered white women when they don't accord the same attention to missing and murdered women of color. But the fact is that the media does indeed do this and anyone paying attention over the years is fully aware of it and has every good reason to suspect why. And it's not for the reasons that are being given here.
RestoRay
(23 posts)I looked for data about female homicide victims and couldn’t find any that broke it down by race. If you’re so sure I’m wrong and have a source that shows there are an equal number of black victims to white victims then you need to present the proof because I looked for it and couldn’t find it.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)You are trying to debunk an observation with an assumption. If you are claiming that the media coverage is justified by the percentages of Black victims white victims, you need to present proof of those percentages.
But even using your pulled-out-of-thin-air numbers, that doesn't explain why the media doesn't give Black victims even 1/5 the coverage it gives white ones.
RestoRay
(23 posts)Are you going to provide a source or not? You keep claiming it’s a fact that I’m wrong but providing no sources, links, nothing. At this point you brought nothing to the conversation to prove you are right. I think that 76,000,000 million more white women explains the difference in the coverage. I am absolutely open to changing my mind about this but I’m going to need something more than your passive-aggressive attitude.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)If you make an assertion, you need to prove it.
Obviously, you can't.
End of discussion.
RestoRay
(23 posts)You’re the one making a factual assertion, not me. I said think this is the reason why. I mean, it’s hard to ignore the 5/1 ratio. I could be wrong, though. You keep insisting I’m wrong but offering nothing but overwrought opinion. I’m literally asking you to show me the stats and you’re like “Nuh uh, you show me”! 
If you have a source for these statistics about the demographics of female murder victims that prove what I think is wrong, please post it so we can read it and try to have a productive conversation. If not then yeah the discussion is probably over. You’re not going to convince me that you’re right with just your attitude.
RestoRay
(23 posts)328,239,523 million Americans. With a 50/50 between male/female that 30% white women compared 6.7% black women. We’re talking about 76,300,000 more people. That is going to generate a ton more stories.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)This has nothing to do with the anyone's percentage of the overall population. We are talking about women who are missing and murdered. Since you've offered it a single statistic showing the numbers of white women victims vs. Black women victims, your argument that white women victims somehow deserve massive coverage while black women deserve next to none falls flat.
That said, the whole debate about percentages is pure BS and is just an all-too-common effort to justify or deny the existence of racism in particular areas of our society. I would think anyone on this board would be embarrassed to be making some of the arguments that y'all are making, but clearly that's not the case
RestoRay
(23 posts)A small minority of the population is going to get a minority of the coverage.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)White men comprise 30 percent of the population - about 3/4 of the number of white women. Under your standard, kidnapped and murdered white men should get at least 75 percent of the coverage that kidnapped and murdered white women get. But they don't.
Why is that?
RestoRay
(23 posts)Now your comments make some sense.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)I certainly understand it well enough to know that the size of a particular group's percentage of the overall U.S. population is not the determining factor of whether stories involving people in that group will be covered.
Welcome to DU, btw.
Jim G.
(14,811 posts)And while demographics could be a factor, I personally think it has more to do with who owns/controls the national media & the perceived "sexiness" of this particular story.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)That's the point.
Jim G.
(14,811 posts)That's a point too.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)BannonsLiver
(16,342 posts)There are a lot of people here who lack a fundamental understanding of the media and how it works. These days so much of what is presented, especially on the web, is determined by analytics. News organizations know what gets the clicks. A lot of people don’t seem to be able to grasp that.
It’s also highly unlikely that it’s only white people consuming these stories, as has been alleged in one of the other threads.
DenaliDemocrat
(1,474 posts)Associated with this case.
joetheman
(1,450 posts)Mostly about crimes against or by white women. Mostly wealthy. Yet, when you hear about crime stats, it's always minorities committing crimes and murders. poisons, parental murders and murderers, embezzlements, fraud, Russian, Jewish, and Italian mobs etc.
If I were go go by these true crime shows, I would be afraid to move into most white and gated communities.
Sabrielo
(18 posts)And counting.
Including front page in the website, and numerous tweets.
NH Ethylene
(30,806 posts)Since you didn't specify missing or murdered, this popped into my mind.
Oh, what a scandal! 
Good one.
Drunken Irishman
(34,857 posts)If Gabby Petito was in her late 30s, white and obese, I doubt we'd be hearing as much about her.
It's not necessarily that she's white. It's that she's very conventionally attractive and so is her boyfriend. That makes it more a story than if she was a poor white overweight girl.
I think the media values looks over anything.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)I've certainly missed any 24/7 coverage of any missing Young, pretty women of color .
Yes, the fact that Gabby was attractive and young are among the reasons this is being covered the way it is. But her whiteness is also a factor. I don't know why so many people resent having that pointed out
Drunken Irishman
(34,857 posts)... you've never heard about and never will hear about.
I don't resent anything. I think it's clear her attractiveness is playing a significant role in why she is getting the headlines.
If she was a plain looking woman, or even fat, you wouldn't be hearing about her. That tells me it absolutely is more about looks than race.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)Does not mean that being white is not a factor in determining media coverage.
As I said, it's interesting that people are so willing to attribute other factors to the coverage but, for some reason bulk at the possibility that her race could be one of those factors.
Drunken Irishman
(34,857 posts)You have failed to counter with anything beyond emotion.
She would not be getting the coverage she is if she was not a conventionally attractive woman with an equally attractive boyfriend. That alone proves that her looks are the primary driving force behind the coverage.
You can't say it's because she's white when you and I both know Iif she was 250 lbs, the media would not be covering her story the way they are currently.
No amount of an emotional argument is going to change that fact.
But you continue to believe what you want. Have a good one.
LiberatedUSA
(1,666 posts)…attractive female teachers get slaps on the wrist for having sex with students, when a male teacher usually gets the harsher sentence.
Drunken Irishman
(34,857 posts)But you're right. Attractiveness sells in our media.
But I will also point out that this case is very compelling. Like extremely compelling - and not just because she's attractive. It's weird and crazy and that makes for the perfect story.
honest.abe
(8,647 posts)Attractive people with nice bodies always get more noticed. Just the way it is.
Klaralven
(7,510 posts)
Drunken Irishman
(34,857 posts)That's just the reality of media. It's not fair but it's true.
What's funny is that this case locally for me because there was a murder here that was tied to it initially. Two white women who went missing.
No one talked about it nationally, though. We had local stories about it but I doubt anyone heard it nationally.
The difference? Not nearly as attractive as this couple.
https://www.abc4.com/news/local-news/new-details-released-in-murder-of-couple-near-moab/
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)
ismnotwasm
(41,971 posts)Missing and trafficked indigenous women are categorically ignored. There are many missing indigenous women connected with oil fields with their mostly male workers for instance.
I am sad for this women, sad for her family, hope she gets justice, but this is all the energy I’m giving it.
Chili
(1,725 posts)...but I recently saw Wind River starring Jeremy Renner - and Graham Greene, Tantoo Cardinal (Dances With Wolves and many others). It addressed just that issue. It was a tear-jerker.
maxsolomon
(33,265 posts)Yet I don't see any posts about missing women of color.
lame54
(35,277 posts)ismnotwasm
(41,971 posts)Lots of material, unfortunately
It would drop like a stone.
SweetieD
(1,660 posts)Week, some young some attractive, and most people never know their names. No this story would not have the same attention if she was black, but there are more elements to why it is getting attention other than her being white and young. The social media aspect is the biggest.
Shanti Shanti Shanti
(12,047 posts)Much more riveting to an audience used to Dateline dramas from years ago dressed up to feel fresh.
People feel involved, in a probable murder mystery, and in the instance of the couple who cracked the case with their videoing of their van in The Tetons, turned out crucial in finding her body!
Crime dramas are a huge hit on the tee-vees yaknow, everyone wants to sleuth this one, and the way the police are bumbling around, who knows, the internets might solve it first.
sammythecat
(3,568 posts)Change any of that and we never hear about her.
Skittles
(153,137 posts)they have to be young
Buckeye_Democrat
(14,853 posts)There's been "cute blonde girls" in my family, just as pretty (if not prettier) than Gabby Petito.
Yet if the media came around my family when such a relative was missing, we'd tell them to get the hell out of our lives! We're in contact with police and detectives, and we don't need the story to be sensationalized in the media.
Or hear about some idiot, who doesn't even know us, publicly speculating about our missing relative's sexual history or who knows what!
I don't envy their national attention at all, but the Petito family has clearly sought it out! And maybe that attention WILL provide clues which will lead to the discovery of Gabby's location, but I doubt it.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)They're usually ignored.
And they're not being ignored because the families aren't cooperating.
ismnotwasm
(41,971 posts)As well as missing indigenous women. They are being ignored, despite some very healthy activism.
Demovictory9
(32,442 posts)behavior'... takes them out of the category of being the innocent princess that's due a lot of media attention
Buckeye_Democrat
(14,853 posts)... with the whole country, during those types of stories.
Then the Nancy Grace types will act outraged, as if she's an angel herself.
Demovictory9
(32,442 posts)had been killing middle eastern men. I watched a documentary about it. the middle eastern men were disappearing in the gay neighborhood... assumptions were made that they all suddenly moved away.... then the serial killer picked a white male and WHOA!!!! police listened to the friends and family and got busy.
the whole thing about who gets attention is fascinating. The LGBT couple who just got killed same month/same area as Gabby is tragic the way the nation doesn't really care.
Buckeye_Democrat
(14,853 posts)Me and my family would prefer no mass media attention in a similar situation, though, so it's not something to envy as far as I'm concerned.
The inconsistency is indeed annoying, however.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)The attempts to justify them here are appalling.
kentuck
(111,069 posts)She was all over Twitter and Instagram, so there was a lot of video. The lazy media loves all that video. It may have been a bit unusual in that regard?
JuJuChen
(2,215 posts)there were brown people missing the day she she was and guess what? today someone brown is missing too! may as well toss in tomorrow.
bad shit happens daily or we'd be posting how much our flower gardens grow on an hourly basis.
ismnotwasm
(41,971 posts)Values white bodies over Black or Brown ones.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)It's as if people think that acknowledging racial bias in the media somehow makes them personally racist. But folks around here attack the media regularly for other types of biases without worrying that the problem is they're pointing to are a reflection on them. But for some reason, whenever the issue is race, we get these knee jerk reactions insisting that the problem is anything but.
ismnotwasm
(41,971 posts)I wish it was otherwise. It’s honestly not hard. It’s not a “difference of opinion” but demonstrable facts.
mcar
(42,287 posts)The defensiveness is eye opening. 
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)The same people who have no problem calling out the media for their political bias are having a fit at even the thought that that same flawed media may be influenced by racial bias.
Can you imagine anyone defending the press against criticisms for the way they cover politics by insisting they are innocent players because they're just reflecting what the audience wants and trying to claim that people's percentage of the U.S. population is a valid basis for the news decisions they make?
But when it comes to any discussion of race, some folk must circle the wagons around their skinfolk, no matter how absurd their reasoning.
mcar
(42,287 posts)We were at Grand Teton the week after this young woman went missing so we have taken an interest in the story. But, the first thing I thought when I heard it (OK, after, OMG we were just there!) was that 17 (I think that's the correct number) indigenous women have disappeared in Wyoming in the last year and haven't been found.
I don't recall CNN and MSNBC spending even one minute of time on even one of those young women. I bet some of them were pretty. I bet some even posted on TikTok and You Tube. I bet most of their families asked for help in finding their daughters.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)
meadowlander
(4,393 posts)It's front page in the UK and New Zealand as well.
I feel sorry for her friends and family, but come on...
misanthrope
(7,411 posts)History is quite clear on this.
Very sad and distressing what has happened to her. But tens of thousands of brown and black women - and children - don't get national attention, not even as an issue. It would be impossible to cover them all, but surely...
TexasBushwhacker
(20,159 posts)That was the hook of the story. Young people live and breathe social media. Gabby essentially documented her disappearance. First she was here, there and everywhere with her boyfriend, then she wasn't.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)Why is it so difficult for people to acknowledge that race may play a role in the coverage of these cases?
People have no trouble calling out the press for all sorts of other biases in other contexts. But for some reason, folks are pointing to every possibility other than racial bias, regardless how tenuous or the logical to explain why the media does not give anything close to the same attention to missing and murdered women of color as it does to similarly-situated white women.
TexasBushwhacker
(20,159 posts)I have no idea how many followers she had prior to her disappearance, because I wasn't a follower. But I don't have tunnel vision that it is only an issue of race. Maybe you would get as much attention if she was YOUNG, PRETTY and black or Latino. I think young and pretty is as big a factor as race
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)garnered this type of attention?
Being young and pretty are certainly factors. But being white is also a critical factor. Missing and murdered Black and brown women, no matter how young and pretty, don't get anything close to the kind of attention that young, pretty white women get.
Race is indeed at play here.
LeftInTX
(25,200 posts)https://jamaica.loopnews.com/content/missing-jamaican-womans-husband-gets-reduced-bail-us
However, Andreen McDonald did not have a youtube channel and was a mom. Her little girl is autistic. It was a big story here though. He was in the military stationed here. Possible trial date for her husband is Oct 22. It's really disgusting that he's out on bond.
https://news4sanantonio.com/news/local/childhood-friend-of-andre-mcdonald-may-have-served-one-of-andreen-mcdonalds-last-meals
https://news4sanantonio.com/news/local/search-for-missing-woman-will-resume-on-saturday
https://news4sanantonio.com/news/local/friends-of-missing-mom-say-she-was-abused-by-her-husband?utm_source=taboola&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=internal
https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/Mourners-remember-San-Antonio-mom-business-owner-14890282.php
Andreen failed to show up for work on March 1st. On March 4th, there was a timeline of events in the local paper.
https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/Timeline-of-events-in-the-case-of-missing-San-13662225.php#photo-7114243
https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Three-weeks-later-search-continues-for-Andreen-13707688.php?cmpid=gsa-mysa-result
I know it's not the national media and the national media focuses too much attention certain crimes.
However Andreen was a fairly big story here and every time a body was found, they thought it was Andreen. Andreen's body was found after 122 days missing.
I was looking at missing stats and African-Americans account for 31% of missing persons, which I find to be staggering.
https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/2020-ncic-missing-person-and-unidentified-person-statistics.pdf/view
**********************
I tend to get more disgusted when white people get away with crimes. Too me that is more telling. Casey Anthony kills her daughter.
The doomsday prepper mom who killed her two kids in Idaho trail has been put on hold because she convinced someone that she has "mental health" issues. If they were black, they would be have been locked up for good.
I'm afraid this Landrie guy will get away with it, cuz he's white.
I'm afraid all the media coverage actually pollutes jury pools.
I'm more concerned about justice than media stories.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)Apples and oranges.
MVP Kamala
(1,235 posts)Enough already. This is not a new story and the media needs to stop treating it like one. If they must go on and on about this then they need to it EVERY time a female gets killed by an unhinged man. Black, White, Asian, Native American
It’s ridiculous