Elizibeth Smart found...ALIVE!

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by Agathon
Given the amount of children that go missing and the fact that the vast majority of them come from poor backgrounds it seems odd to me that it is suddenly news when a rich white girl goes missing.

In any case I don't think it's a national story, although it is an important regional one.

Two things (besides being rich and white) set Elizabeth Smart's case off from the rest - she was kidnapped from her bedroom at home with very little hard evidence and no suspects, as opposed to kids snatched on the street, on the way from school, in their yards, or by non-custodial parents, etc.

Her kidnapping also came along as part of a streak of more or less similar kidnappings.

As for the national newsworthiness of it, there was significant national coverage last year of a young black girl in Philly who escaped from a basement where she'd been kept by her kidnappers.

[Sava]

Originally posted by Sprayber
Are you two trying to say that if the child was black and the same set of circumstances were present, the media would not report this?

Some of you people are simply amazing. The point is that a child is back home. Ethicity or sex doesnt mean a damn thing. But apparently some try to find the absolute worse in each and every situation. It must be really depressing to be one of you.

It's good being me. I see the media for what it is, a sensationalist set of organizations whose first order is to sell commercial time. It must suck being a victim of sensationalism.

And instead of expressing some sort of relief or positive opinion about this girl coming home, you have to attack other posters' on their views of the media.

[SlowwHand]

Getting snatched from the bedroom of a house , that opens up a whole new can of worms.

[JohnT]

Originally posted by Lancer
They're white, but whose fault is that? I don't think they're rich. The reward was $10,000?

She's rich... take a look at that house!

My theory is that she got under the spell of some doofus homeless "prophet" boyfriend and skipped out. Apparently she was wearing a wig when caught and didn't seem under duress.

[Sprayber]

Originally posted by Sava

It's good being me. I see the media for what it is, a sensationalist set of organizations whose first order is to sell commercial time. It must suck being a victim of sensationalism.

And instead of expressing some sort of relief or positive opinion about this girl coming home, you have to attack other posters' on their views of the media.

Please spare me your disappointment. Your not one to talk about sticking to some kind of topic. Your rantings about all things negative border on the absurd. So the next time you pipe in about how evil the goverment is or how evil bush is (and the topic has nothing to do with either) remember this post you made.

[Buck Birdseed]

I'm not necessarily condoning immediately moving the subject onto The Media And Missing Children, The Disseration, but since the subject has been broached this is an article on the subject I found quite interesting at the time. It's written from a british perspective- Amanda Dowler was a high-profile missing girl when the article was published.

http://www.observer.co.uk/magazine/story/0,11913,860063,00.html

[DuncanK]

I read that she was abducted at gun point. I pictured a home invasion. That's what was shocking to me, but actually I just heard about it.

[SlowwHand]

They ALL had wigs on and it was a friend of the family, I believe.

[Tuberski]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
They ALL had wigs on and it was a friend of the family, I believe.

It was a handyman who worked at their house one day, 9 months before she was abducted.

ACK!

[SlowwHand]

Fatal attraction.

Was said here, regional, not national.
Seems national in looking around.

[Sprayber]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
Fatal attraction.

Was said here, regional, not national.
Seems national in looking around.

But sloww, the media is evil and scary don't believe them.

[Kramerman]

Originally posted by Agathon
Rich white girl found alive.

Why is this news?

she was kidnapped! she was feared dead!

poor taste
.01/10

[Nubclear]

Originally posted by Lancer
Really pretty young teen from...Cali?

UTAH!!!!!!!!!!!

[jdd2007]

whatever ... shes pretty

(and safe)

[Boris Godunov]

Excellent news. I always tend to assume that, in situations like this, the kidnapee is dead meat. Nice to see expectations not met this time.