Media coverage of Shannon Matthews disappearance?

Question

Why so little? Is it because it is too cold and wet "Up North" for the London based journalists? The fact she's from an estate in West Yorkshire? The media were camped in Soham for the two little girls who disappeared there (nice weather, nice little town, close to London, nothing much else happening at the time); and in Portugal for Madeleine McCann.

So why so little coverage of this little girl? Were the others over done, and this is the normal response(cover it, but don't make it the sole news story), or is the lack of coverage more to do with the fact that she is not from a middle class family and a nice area?

I just feel she should be getting more news attention than she is doing.

Answer 1

You're right.  The case hasn't been given much media attention so far.  I'm sure the fact that she isn't from a nice middle class family or a good area might indeed have something to do with it.  Shannon's family background doesn't seem to qualify. Proponants of "Missing White Woman Syndrome" claim that there's supposed to be a formula for this.  It goes something like:

Minutes of TV coverage = Family Income x (Abductee Cuteness / Skin Colour) + Length of Abduction x Media Savvy of Grieving Parents

It's not fair or balanced, but there's some truth in that calculation somewhere.

Answer 2

Absolutely I think Shannon should be getting more coverage.  And yes, I think you've hit the nail on the head when you ask,  is it because she isn't from a middle-class family that live in a nice area.  I hadn't even heard about Shannon (here in New Zealand) until I was reading Gerry McCanns latest entry on the Find Madeline website.  Isn't it awful?  Another darling little girl, taken away.

Answer 3

Same thing happens here in the States.  Beautiful blond white children who disappear get lots of media, while poor black children get almost none, if any.

Answer 4

What media coverage?  It's conspicuous by its absence.  

It's absolutely disgraceful.  We were inundated with coverage of Madeleine McCann here in UK when there was little chance of her being found here.   Now we have a girl missing from UK and when coverage COULD be of use, there isn't any.

It's very obvious that money and status count.

Answer 5

I must be watching different news to you lot then. And I'm down south. Its covered on every news programme I've watched so far, and even bulletins. I watch the news every night.  And I think it's a bit mean for someone on here to say that she's not cute and from an ugly family. I don't think that is true at all!- (but I do get your general gist- I'm sure you didn't mean it to be how it sounded, there is definitely less coverage than the Portugal case )

Also I disagree with what someone said about 'if you're from a better social class than them you think they deserve it'. What a load of vicious bile. How can you honestly back up that sentence?? That is a silly statement to make.

I think everyone's thoughts are with the little girl and her family and hopefully things will end up ok. I don't think her 'fate' is something that should be speculated about on here. People need to wait for the facts to surface before making judgements on members of her family.

Answer 6

I tend to agree with you, it does seem that she is being lost under other seemingly more important news. Seems very inbalanced seeing the amount of media coverage of Madeline McCann.

I think there are a few reasons for thsi

1. as has been said before she is not a blonde, preety, middle class girl with well spoken beautiful parents and unfortunatly people dont care if they're not middle class. Becuase if you are of a better social class you think they deserve it.

2, there was initial talk that she had run away whcih the police took seriously.

3. I would keep an ear out for the news that the police are searching her grandmother house.

Personally I fear family involvement (not necessarily parents) and I fear she is dead. A child that you missing for this long, you have to suspect that she is very sadly not alive and also eing the age she is you must suspect family as who else does she know!

Its heartbreaking!

Answer 7

This is the latest news on her disappearance.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,3...

Answer 8

Yep. Looks are important to the press. Cute white girl with blonde hair sells more than an ugly family from a Council Estate up north. Sad but true.

Answer 9

Currently a flat belonging to an ex boyfriend of her mothers is getting a lot of attention . Sadly family or persons known to them  figure in a lot of child disappearances/ abductions and murders. Could it be the case that the police know or at least suspect they are no longer searching for a living child and for operational reasons news reporting has been dampened down ?

Answer 10

Im sure there is plenty of coverage on their local news.