Monday, on her show “The ReidOut,” MSNBC anchor Joy Reid said that the media coverage of 22-year-old Gabby Petito is a clear case of “Missing White Woman Syndrome.”
Reid said, “If you’ve been watching the news for the past few days or on Twitter or TikTok, you’re familiar with the name Gabby Petito. The 22-year-old aspiring social media influencer who was reported missing after her fiancee returned from their van life excursion without her. On Sunday, human remains believed to be Petito’s were found in a national park in Wyoming. An autopsy is scheduled for tomorrow to confirm the identity. Now it goes without saying that no family should ever have to endure that kind of pain, and the Pepito family certainly deserves answers and justice.”
She continued, “The way this story captivated the nation has many wondering, why not the same media attention when people of color go missing? Well, the answer actually has a name: Missing White Woman Syndrome – the term coined by the late and great Gwen Ifill to describe the media and public fascination with missing white women like Laci Peterson or Natalee Holloway while ignoring cases involving people of color.”
Black and Missing Foundation co-founder Derrica Wilson said. “It is definitely the issue. And we have been sounding the alarm for nearly 14 years because of this. When it comes to missing persons of color, men, women and children, our cases are not taken seriously, and no one is looking for us if we were to go missing.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.