Newsworthiness & the "Missing White Woman Syndrome"
Advisor Information
Pauline Brennan
Location
Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library
Presentation Type
Poster
Start Date
7-3-2014 9:00 AM
End Date
7-3-2014 12:00 PM
Abstract
A scan of online news articles reveals a consistent trend: Missing White women and children are more likely to garner media attention than missing minority women. The glorification of missing White women and children has been dubbed “missing White woman syndrome.” This qualitative content analysis of online and traditional print journalism articles examines the differences in how the national media outlets portray missing White women compared to missing minority women. Triangulated analyses validate the existence of the “syndrome” and explore the nuances of ways in which missing girls and women are portrayed in print media. The implications for theory and professional practice in both journalism and criminal justice, as well as those for justice policy, are discussed.
Newsworthiness & the "Missing White Woman Syndrome"
Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library
A scan of online news articles reveals a consistent trend: Missing White women and children are more likely to garner media attention than missing minority women. The glorification of missing White women and children has been dubbed “missing White woman syndrome.” This qualitative content analysis of online and traditional print journalism articles examines the differences in how the national media outlets portray missing White women compared to missing minority women. Triangulated analyses validate the existence of the “syndrome” and explore the nuances of ways in which missing girls and women are portrayed in print media. The implications for theory and professional practice in both journalism and criminal justice, as well as those for justice policy, are discussed.
Additional Information (Optional)
Winner of Outstanding Graduate Poster Presentation