The Petito Story

[Pakuni]

Sorry. I couldn't disagree with you more. While there are certainly journalists attempting to deliver the facts, that's simply not how the news dissemination business works today.  It's all narrative driven in my view.   I'll suggest that our views on this topic might be partly attributable to our divergent political beliefs so let's leave it friendly at that.

I believe you may be viewing journalism of the past through rosy-hued spectacles.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

There are apparently large alligators in those swamps.  If he is actually in this preserve he would have lost badly in a confrontation with them Galway.  The jaw strength of these guys is rather impressive.  Who knows if he's even there but maybe he was attacked with great force and zero mercy?

Yes, if he got into a confrontation with an alligator, he would have lost and lost badly. But the reality of gators is that they have next to zero interest in humans. You can go hiking and biking through the swamps of Florida and gators regularly sprawl onto the paths. You can go right around them. Still scary as hell to do but 999 times out of 1000, they will ignore you. The USA has an average of 1 fatality per year due to alligator attack.

[Pakuni]

This in part is true, but sociology and psychology have studied this intensively, and they do observe a direct bias towards reporting on cases like this that involve pretty young white women.

The reason isn't directly racism, but simply on what moves peoples needle. People react stronger if they can relate to the story or event. Those making initial media/reporting decisions typically tend to be white, so they look at a tragedy involving a pretty young white woman and think "that could have been my daughter/wife/friend" and report on it.

That draws in eyeballs/social media comments, because the bulk of our population "that could have been my daughter/wife/friend."

Sadly, we don't see similar reports on minorities, or people from poor communities, because we haven't advanced as a society far enough that we reflect on these communities the same way. In many ways, people view them as "others" not like them and hence do not react as strongly.

I think we largely agree.
My overarching point is that it's not "the media" deciding independently to cover the cr*p out of one missing girl but not another missing girl based on race or any other factors. The audience drives the coverage. And that sometimes means the audiences' biases (conscious and unconscious) influences the coverage.

[MuggsyB]

One can only hope

Do you hope he's alive or dead?  I would think it would be easier to charge his parents and perhaps others if he's alive?  And maybe there's a local zoo and a Hippo that wants a snack?  Hippos  > Alligators.  A real life Hungry Hungry Hippos might be fun on PPV?

[Galway Eagle]

Do you hope he's alive or dead?  I would think it would be easier to charge his parents and perhaps others if he's alive?  And maybe there's a local zoo and a Hippo that wants a snack?  Hippos  > Alligators.  A real life Hungry Hungry Hippos might be fun on PPV?

Right now I don't have any hope that he gets found in the near future (next two weeks) in that scenario I hope he got attacked by alligators. If I'm wrong and he's found I'd prefer he gets caught, gives answers that provide some closure for yhe Petitos and incriminate his parents and even his lawyer.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

I hope he is alive.  If he is dead, I hope that he died a painless death, as I do for everyone. 

[swoopem]

Well if his intention was to commit suicide from Gator chomps I would imagine that's rather unpleasant.  He may be a delusional sociopath but I assure you that doesn't feel like a body massage.  He would have died in screaming pain and incalculable fear.

I wasn’t saying death by gator chomps. I was saying go to the swamp, shoot your self, and hope the gators eat your body.

[warriorchick]

I think we largely agree.
My overarching point is that it's not "the media" deciding independently to cover the cr*p out of one missing girl but not another missing girl based on race or any other factors. The audience drives the coverage. And that sometimes means the audiences' biases (conscious and unconscious) influences the coverage.

IMO this story (and others like it) gain traction in the media because it's the proverbial Man Bites Dog. It's an unusual, interesting story.

[Jockey]

"The media" (God, I hate that phrase, as if the media is some borg-like entity) gives the public what it wants. They know exactly how many eyeballs and clicks each and every story gets, and respond accordingly. There's no TV news director or newspaper editor sitting at a desk in New York or Washington saying, "This is a pretty, white girl ... give me more stories pronto!" They check their metrics, see that a story is generating tons of traffic and  - because they need to make money like every other business - provide more stories like it.
If the public reacted to a missing Black or Latino woman in the same way, the media would give it the same coverage. Unfortunately, that's rarely the case. But that's not the fault of the media. It's just the reality of what the public cares about.

Of course, you're right. I should have been more specific about what I was saying about the media.

I should have said it is all about the $$$$ (clicks & giving the public what they want). When it comes to these sensational stories, the media basically is one entity. They all want in whether it is clickbait sites or respected national media.

[jsglow]

We'll agree to disagree, glow.

Maybe someday, we can sit down over a beer and talk about how each of us defines "real journalism."

All good 82.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

IMO this story (and others like it) gain traction in the media because it's the proverbial Man Bites Dog. It's an unusual, interesting story.

Honest question, can you think of an unusual, interesting story about a missing woman who was not young, pretty, and White gaining a similar amount of traction?

I'll admit, I cannot. I find it hard to believe that with literal thousands of missing women over the past decade that this story is the most unusual and most interesting out of all of them.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Also, this phenomenon has been talked about (and joked about) for awhile. This conversation reminded me of this clip from mid-2000s.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNVj59B_sLE

[JWags85]

Yes, if he got into a confrontation with an alligator, he would have lost and lost badly. But the reality of gators is that they have next to zero interest in humans. You can go hiking and biking through the swamps of Florida and gators regularly sprawl onto the paths. You can go right around them. Still scary as hell to do but 999 times out of 1000, they will ignore you. The USA has an average of 1 fatality per year due to alligator attack.

People confuse them occasionally picking off small dogs and maybe toddlers, aka little things that are similar size to their natural prey, and assume they are destroyers that are gonna go wild on any human nearby.  I knew someone that was chased by a gator, because it was a Momma gator by a nest.  That chase lasted about 10 yards before the gator had enough and sauntered back

[Pakuni]

Honest question, can you think of an unusual, interesting story about a missing woman who was not young, pretty, and White gaining a similar amount of traction?

I'll admit, I cannot. I find it hard to believe that with literal thousands of missing women over the past decade that this story is the most unusual and most interesting out of all of them.

Maybe not quite as big a story as Gabby Petito  - such a high bar I can't think of more than a few examples - but the disappearance and murder of Yingying Zhang in Illinois made national and international headlines.


 

[warriorchick]

Honest question, can you think of an unusual, interesting story about a missing woman who was not young, pretty, and White gaining a similar amount of traction?

I'll admit, I cannot. I find it hard to believe that with literal thousands of missing women over the past decade that this story is the most unusual and most interesting out of all of them.

Hae Min Lee, the murder victim in Serial.

Also, I am a big fan of Dateline and 20/20, and I have seen several stories about missing/murdered women of color.

[MuggsyB]

I hope he is alive.  If he is dead, I hope that he died a painless death, as I do for everyone.

Why would you hope "everyone" dies a painless death?  Even people like Bundy and Dahmer?  Hitler?  Pol Pot?  Mao?  Stalin? 

[jficke13]

Why would you hope "everyone" dies a painless death?  Even people like Bundy and Dahmer?  Hitler?  Pol Pot?  Mao?  Stalin?

Because wishing suffering that serves no purpose is a weird thing to want to have happen?

What, specifically, benefits you or any of their victims when Stalin dies a slow messy death from a stroke? Is vengeance particularly valuable to you?

[tower912]

How many people were aware of the missing people that Dahmer was eating?  Coincidence?   Or just a different time?

[MuggsyB]

Because wishing suffering that serves no purpose is a weird thing to want to have happen?

What, specifically, benefits you or any of their victims when Stalin dies a slow messy death from a stroke? Is vengeance particularly valuable to you?

I enjoy vengeance and for evil people to suffer excruciating pain. So yes, it does serve a purpose.  Just as ice cream, beer, and watching Taken serves a purpose.  If I was the father of one of those gymnasts that Nassar abused and legally there was a way to torture him every day?  Would I object?  Uh.... no.  There are a lot of horrific people out there and there's nothing weird about wishing them ill-will, extreme pain, or hoping they become immediate fertilizer.  This is just my personal opinion.

[StillAWarrior]

Honest question, can you think of an unusual, interesting story about a missing woman who was not young, pretty, and White gaining a similar amount of traction?

I'll admit, I cannot. I find it hard to believe that with literal thousands of missing women over the past decade that this story is the most unusual and most interesting out of all of them.

Hae Min Lee, the murder victim in Serial.

Also, I am a big fan of Dateline and 20/20, and I have seen several stories about missing/murdered women of color.

Were you aware of Hae Min Lee before the podcast? It's an extremely interesting story, but I'll admit that never heard of her until I listened to that podcast. Are you generally aware of the missing/murdered women of color before seeing their stories on Dateline and 2020?

Because I think those are very different situations. I think that what we're talking about here is that missing young pretty white women are covered very differently than those who don't fit into that category. Honestly, I'm surprised that there is anybody pushing back against that proposition -- it seems so obvious as to be a truism. People who happened to listen to the Serial podcast (another interesting one is Algorithm) or who happen to watch Dateline and 20/20 will, no doubt, see many stories about missing/murdered women of all races and backgrounds. But, if you don't happen to listen to that podcast or watch those shows, you likely won't get those stories.

Those stories simply don't get blanket coverage across media sources and social network platforms that make them nearly impossible to miss.

[JWags85]

How many people were aware of the missing people that Dahmer was eating?  Coincidence?   Or just a different time?

VERY different time.  When it comes to stuff like this, anything pre-Internet and cell phones may as well be Victorian times.

[jesmu84]

Why would you hope "everyone" dies a painless death?  Even people like Bundy and Dahmer?  Hitler?  Pol Pot?  Mao?  Stalin?

Sounds like Fluffy has a principle that he holds as a universal truth. Refreshing.

[Jockey]

Yes, if he got into a confrontation with an alligator, he would have lost and lost badly. But the reality of gators is that they have next to zero interest in humans. You can go hiking and biking through the swamps of Florida and gators regularly sprawl onto the paths. You can go right around them. Still scary as hell to do but 999 times out of 1000, they will ignore you. The USA has an average of 1 fatality per year due to alligator attack.

Same with the bears in the Smoky Mountains. Have run across them many times while hiking, and while it is always a bit scary, they have no interest in humans

[Hards Alumni]

I enjoy vengeance and for evil people to suffer excruciating pain. So yes, it does serve a purpose.  Just as ice cream, beer, and watching Taken serves a purpose.  If I was the father of one of those gymnasts that Nassar abused and legally there was a way to torture him every day?  Would I object?  Uh.... no.  There are a lot of horrific people out there and there's nothing weird about wishing them ill-will, extreme pain, or hoping they become immediate fertilizer.  This is just my personal opinion.

That's pretty messed up, dude.

Name for me the seven deadly sins.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Maybe not quite as big a story as Gabby Petito  - such a high bar I can't think of more than a few examples - but the disappearance and murder of Yingying Zhang in Illinois made national and international headlines.

I'll be honest, I didn't remember the story until I wikipediaed her just now. Maybe that will happen with Peitito too in a few years but my recollection is that the media coverage wasn't close to this level.

Hae Min Lee, the murder victim in Serial.

Also, I am a big fan of Dateline and 20/20, and I have seen several stories about missing/murdered women of color.

I'm not talking about shows that dissect crimes long after they have occurred. I'm talking about coverage as the search and investigation are actively occurring. Those are very different things.

EDIT: Stillawarrior said it much better than me