Please explain the media's fascination with missing persons.

[Skip Intro]

Evidently there's an audience for it.

Do they think they're watching a slow moving rapture?

And why is Natalie Holloway - why is she media worthy when hundreds of people who go missing evidently aren't? Why her?

*sigh*

wonder if "The Runaway Bride" will end up a movie or a game show.

on edit: I just gotta say, george bush and don rumsfeld (and the gang) just wasted tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis - they're not just missing, they're gone. Isn't that a bigger story????

[HEyHEY]

1. Usually starts with a police bulletin...and snowballs from there

[Sanity Claws]

2. It's not all missing persons

Missing pretty white blonde female -- definitely
missing pretty white brunette female -- highly likely
missing average looking person -- they'll pass
missing minority -- no way.

[doublethink]

3. The runaway bride got a movie deal .... really.

couple hundred thousand I heard, and the fine, bill, whatever she got stuck with for pulling this shit was far less. Told my Grandma to runaway .... get her a movie deal $ ..... Runaway Grandma ... :)

on edit: story here but it doesn't mention the $ http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=854218

[Skip Intro]

9. Runaway Grandma - LOL!

:rofl:

[DanCa]

4. In Scarbourough's case it's guilt over his intern (nt)

[Moochy]

5. "Fox News" is only a brand name, not a description

To paraphrase Keith Olbermann today (who skipped the aruba story)

"Fox News is only a brand name, not a description"

They think they need a "Story". CNN isnt running with it and the CEO is openly mocking FOX news for their aruba fever.

They have always milked these missing person stories. It's cheaper and less risky (they think) than trying to cover real news.

The coverage amounts to a well known structure:
Yep, still missing. lets stalk the suspects like a papparazi, and then assemble a montage of the days footage. WOW look at the judge enter the courthouse! wow! lets show a poll on Aruba coverage.. repeat ad nauseum.

[YDogg]

8. LMAO! Too funny!!

I love me some Olbermann.

[Berry Cool]

16. Keith also likes to call Faux News

"The 1984 Channel." He says he finally figured out that it is what is playing 24 hours a day on all the telescreens in the book. :rofl:

[wli]

6. the need to fill dead air left by media blackouts n/t

[izzie]

7. The problem is always the interesting thing

It is the hunt.

[stevedeshazer]

10. There's people missing?

Who'd have known?

[Skip Intro]

11. rich, white people even

the high taxes, and now this.

ok, that wasn't nice, but...... but I never said it, it was just misinterpreted, and I regert that

[etherealtruth]

12. Two words:

Tawdry and salacious.

Seems much of the american public can't get enough

[meganmonkey]

13. There's a chance of a happy ending

And if there isn't, then there is a horrible tragedy but it is someone else's tragedy, and it is 'random' and 'senseless'.

It distracts us from the REAL tragedy in the world, for which we are all responsible and there can be no happy ending.

[AuntPatsy]

14. Their isn't really, the media pushes it, people watch and as always

people discuss what they have heard on the news...

[Maple]

15. The shark's aren't cooperating this year?

Usually they're good for a few gory stories.

[rockribbedliberal]

17. Because it's easy.

All they have to do is get the daily word from the cops, interview the grief-stricken family (who has no problem with the media, since they're "getting the word out"), run the mug of the cute blonde and rake in the viewers/readers. No muss, no fuss, no controversy, no work.