# News Editors: Please for the love of God stop with the missing white girl stories **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 11, 2008, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-editors-please-for-the-love-of-god-stop-with-the-missing-white-girl-stories/433157 "2008-01-11T18:03:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-editors-please-for-the-love-of-god-stop-with-the-missing-white-girl-stories/433157/1 "2008-01-11T18:03:29Z")
There will _always_ be a missing white girl _somewhere_. It is NOT national news. That is all. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-editors-please-for-the-love-of-god-stop-with-the-missing-white-girl-stories/433157/2 "2008-01-11T18:28:02Z")
But this latest one’s mother called her a pathological liar! And she’s pregnant! And she’s a Marine! And she was just about to testify on, um, well, something or other! And she’s wicked cute, too. You just don’t understand the news business. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-editors-please-for-the-love-of-god-stop-with-the-missing-white-girl-stories/433157/3 "2008-01-11T18:32:02Z")
Also, please stop referring to her as an officer. Last time I checked a Lance Corporal in the USMC is not an officers rank. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-editors-please-for-the-love-of-god-stop-with-the-missing-white-girl-stories/433157/4 "2008-01-11T18:40:50Z")
A few weeks ago I was reading the news on my phone, and one of the top stories was of a missing hiker. A top story. “How could this possibly be a top story?” I asked myself. “There must be lots and lots of missing people all over the place.” Just kidding. Of course I knew it had to be a young pretty white woman, I didn’t ask myself shit. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-editors-please-for-the-love-of-god-stop-with-the-missing-white-girl-stories/433157/5 "2008-01-11T18:46:08Z")
It’s only news if they are pretty. Journalism 101. ---
**Author:** ![buckgully](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb9ed0/32.png) [@buckgully](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buckgully)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-editors-please-for-the-love-of-god-stop-with-the-missing-white-girl-stories/433157/6 "2008-01-11T19:02:59Z")
Breaking news: she’s dead. In other news: A snoring baby polar bear! Awwwww! ---
**Author:** ![Borborygmi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/borborygmi/32/217_2.png) [@Borborygmi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Borborygmi)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-editors-please-for-the-love-of-god-stop-with-the-missing-white-girl-stories/433157/7 "2008-01-11T19:10:13Z")
[QUOTE=buckgully] Breaking news: she’s dead. [/QUOTE] Let’s hear what _you_ think about her being dead. Log on to our website and let us know. [QUOTE=buckgully] In other news: A snoring baby polar bear! Awwwww! [/QUOTE] You forgot a step! Fixed. ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-editors-please-for-the-love-of-god-stop-with-the-missing-white-girl-stories/433157/8 "2008-01-11T19:34:18Z")
I guess I missed the missing white woman du jour. I have no idea who you guys are talking about. I trust I should be able to find it without much trouble, though. Oh, how about that. Type [www.cnn.com](http://www.cnn.com) and it’s the lead story. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-editors-please-for-the-love-of-god-stop-with-the-missing-white-girl-stories/433157/9 "2008-01-11T20:07:12Z")
[QUOTE=Revtim] A few weeks ago I was reading the news on my phone, and one of the top stories was of a missing hiker. A top story. [/QUOTE] That one had a happy ending. They found her Labrador retriever. ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-editors-please-for-the-love-of-god-stop-with-the-missing-white-girl-stories/433157/10 "2008-01-11T20:24:38Z")
[QUOTE=Loach] It’s only news if they are pretty. Journalism 101. [/QUOTE] Look, there are _plenty_ of good looking black women out there, and latinas, and Asian Americans … I insist that any time a good looking young woman disappears, regardless of race, it should be an obsession of our national news media! ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-editors-please-for-the-love-of-god-stop-with-the-missing-white-girl-stories/433157/11 "2008-01-11T20:38:13Z")
> [@Ponder Stibbons](#): > > Look, there are plenty of good looking black women out there, and latinas, and Asian Americans … I insist that any time a good looking young woman disappears, regardless of race, it should be an obsession of our national news media! They’d have to start a 24h missing persons channel to keep up. The regular cable news channels would be so starved for programming they’d have to either amp up on the Britney and show-trial coverage or _start gathering and reporting 100% real serious news,_ which the business is now convinced will only end in a race to the bottom of the ratings charts. Even if not, the sun will grow cold before broadcast news outlets give up on sensationalist repetitiousness. One of them has to be first, and fail spectacularly, and then one of them has to be second and do it right. The problem is no one will ever be first. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-editors-please-for-the-love-of-god-stop-with-the-missing-white-girl-stories/433157/12 "2008-01-11T20:55:34Z")
Well, at least this time she was also pregnant and a Marine (man, she looks nice in her uniform). That adds a few points of notability. A few more if the report that she was pregnant by a rape is also true. Even more if the killer ends up being a fellow Marine. ---
**Author:** ![MissTake](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misstake/32/3189_2.png) [@MissTake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissTake)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-editors-please-for-the-love-of-god-stop-with-the-missing-white-girl-stories/433157/13 "2008-01-11T21:03:09Z")
[QUOTE=Beware of Doug] They’d have to start a 24h missing persons channel to keep up. The regular cable news channels would be so starved for programming they’d have to either amp up on the Britney and show-trial coverage or _start gathering and reporting 100% real serious news,_ which the business is now convinced will only end in a race to the bottom of the ratings charts. [/QUOTE] If “real” news was reported, what would Nancy Grace do for a job? ---
**Author:** ![LilyoftheValley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@LilyoftheValley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilyoftheValley)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-editors-please-for-the-love-of-god-stop-with-the-missing-white-girl-stories/433157/14 "2008-01-11T21:06:09Z")
I have no idea what you all are talking about. Either this one’s not really ubiquitous, or I have selected a good choice of news sources. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-editors-please-for-the-love-of-god-stop-with-the-missing-white-girl-stories/433157/15 "2008-01-11T21:07:34Z")
[QUOTE=MissTake] If “real” news was reported, what would Nancy Grace do for a job? [/QUOTE] Well, when she was younger and thinner, she used to make her living by wearing crotch-displayingly short dresses in front of Fulton County juries. Dunno _what_ she would do for a living _now_. ---
**Author:** ![ArizonaTeach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@ArizonaTeach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArizonaTeach)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-editors-please-for-the-love-of-god-stop-with-the-missing-white-girl-stories/433157/16 "2008-01-11T21:31:52Z")
Plus, she was set to testify to (dum-dum- **duuum** ) seeing something on the base. ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-editors-please-for-the-love-of-god-stop-with-the-missing-white-girl-stories/433157/17 "2008-01-11T21:48:12Z")
[QUOTE=Leaper] Well, at least this time she was also pregnant and a Marine (man, she looks nice in her uniform). That adds a few points of notability. A few more if the report that she was pregnant by a rape is also true. Even more if the killer ends up being a fellow Marine. [/QUOTE] Good thing we’re not playing a drinking game with this. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-editors-please-for-the-love-of-god-stop-with-the-missing-white-girl-stories/433157/18 "2008-01-11T21:50:31Z")
[QUOTE=Telperien] Good thing we’re not playing a drinking game with this. [/QUOTE] Maybe we should. It would make the whole phenomenon easier to take. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-editors-please-for-the-love-of-god-stop-with-the-missing-white-girl-stories/433157/19 "2008-01-11T21:52:34Z")
[QUOTE=MissTake] If “real” news was reported, what would Nancy Grace do for a job? [/QUOTE] Bumper car repair. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Understander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3da27b/32.png) [@The\_Understander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Understander)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-editors-please-for-the-love-of-god-stop-with-the-missing-white-girl-stories/433157/20 "2008-01-11T21:58:32Z")
[QUOTE=Cluricaun] Bumper car repair. [/QUOTE] The judges would also have accepted Knee Pad Tester. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-editors-please-for-the-love-of-god-stop-with-the-missing-white-girl-stories/433157.md?page=2)