This is now well known – if an attractive, young, white woman goes missing, there will be saturation media coverage for days, weeks or even years (such as for Natalie Holloway, Sherri Pappini, Gabby Petito).

A phenomenon known as “Missing White Woman Syndrome” has long plagued the media, referring to a tendency to sensationalize and disproportionately cover cases involving white women who are often also young, attractive, and middle-class.

Meanwhile, cases involving people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, indigenous people, and other marginalized groups are often downplayed or ignored altogether

How to Challenge the Missing White Woman Syndrome (msn.com)

Persons of color, older adults, and males of all ages – are nearly invisible.

The media stories, like the above, see this in terms of sex and POC/race. Columbia found that men (any race) and older adults receive far, far less coverage to the point of almost not existing. But the media simplifies this: young white women versus people of color – and leaves out the impact on men and older adults.

Columbia University did an analysis of news reporting on missing persons and created an online tool you can use to see if the media would cover you or someone else, if you went missing: AreYouPressworthy.com

• A 20-year-old missing white woman here would receive 82 articles.
• A 20-year-old white male would receive 62 articles.
• A 20-year-old black woman would receive 35 articles.
• A 20-year old Hispanic male would receive 21 articles.
• A white woman the same age and location as me would get 14 articles.
• If I, an older white male, went missing, there would be 11 news stories (local coverage).
• A black man the same age and location as me would get 5 articles.

The media discriminates against persons of color and older adults – and overwhelmingly favors young women and in particular, attractive young white women in coverage of missing person cases.

Older adults of any race/ethnic background receive the least coverage.

You cannot hate the media enough.