Q&A – The Gabby Petito Case & “Missing White Woman Syndrome”
Each day I feature a listener question sent by one of these methods.
Email:brianmudd@iheartmedia.com
Parler & Twitter: @brianmuddradio
Today’s entry: Brian, I’d like to hear your take on the so-called missing white woman syndrome. I believe you’ve said similar things in the past without characterizing it that way. My questions for you are these... Do you think it’s true? If so, do you feel conflicted having spent a lot of time on the story?
Bottom Line: Yes, I think it’s true. No, I don’t feel conflicted. I’m appreciative of you having introduced this topic because it’s a valuable conversation to be having while so much attention is being paid to the Gabby Petito case. While I’ve never used the characterization of “missing white woman syndrome”, I have very specifically spoken to this concern previously in the context of human trafficking. In recent years I’d most passionately explained this dynamic during the Robert Kraft/Orchids of Asia Day Spa scandal of a couple of years ago. Here’s one of my related stories which discussed this dynamic – from June 24th, 2019.
If you’re familiar with my work on this topic over the years, you know that it’s (human trafficking) one I’m most passionate about and most disturbed regarding the lack of attention it receives. Most recently, during the investigative period of the Orchid's Day Spa case involving Robert Kraft and others, I’d hoped we’d see the appropriate attention focused on the issues of human trafficking in the US and see harsh accountability for those who pay for the “work” of those trafficked. Instead, it appears it’ll be the latest example of how to use loopholes in the legal system to get away with sex-trafficking. Meanwhile the problem continues to exacerbate and now we’ve learned a new disturbing wrinkle from the US State Department. The United States is one of the top five countries for human trafficking in the world. How bad is the problem today? Here are a few shocking figures for you...
- 300,000 - the number of children at risk of being human trafficked in the US
- 199,000 - the number of children lost to human trafficking in the US every year
Let me put that in perspective for you. We’re losing 545 minors to human trafficking trade in the US per DAY! You’d think that’d be headline news or something wouldn’t you? Granted this took a little digging and calculating on my part but frankly not that much and it's mind-boggling to me that a country that’s previously been captivated by the stories of Natalie Holloway, Elisabeth Smart and others wouldn’t seemingly care about our kids going missing. But as I’ve previously mentioned... few victims fit the “profile” news media decides you should know and care about. Over 80% of victims are minorities and commonly from urban epicenters.
In Florida, we have the 7th highest rate of human trafficking per capita in the country and South Florida, specifically the tri-county, is among the highest rates per capita in the country. And that’s what you, what every parent should know. Our children are at an especially high risk in South Florida. Parents never think it could happen to their kids until it does. We need to be vigilant in educating our kids about risk responsibility and staying on top of any behavior or new acquaintances that raise concerns. With 545 kids lost per day in the US, it might not be your child today, and God willing never will be, but it is someone’s in South Florida today.
All of those points remain generally true today. Now Gabby wasn’t trafficked, she was murdered, though we didn’t know that to be the case when the news media first picked up the story, but the media dynamic remains true from a coverage perspective. She fit the right “profile” from a media perspective to generate enormous interest. For anyone who may disagree, when was the last time you recall national attention by news media at all levels for days on end to a missing person’s case involving someone of minority descent? Regarding the reason I’m not conflicted regarding the way I’ve covered the story...
The content I share with you is a mix of what you want and what I think is important for you to know. This Q&A is a perfect example. Generally, they’re not in conflict with one another. There’s been enormous interest in the Gabby Petito case, and whether it’s derived from what some call “missing white woman syndrome” or not, there’s a desire for justice in this case. Also, it’s not taken away from my work on other important stories over the past couple of weeks. What I wish would happen, and perhaps subsequent to this discussion may, would be for the news organizations who’ve been able to deploy specific resources for instigative coverage of this story, to regularly investigate missing person cases, especially involving minors, who are most often lost to the human trafficking trade. Not only would they likely and sadly have no shortage of heart wrenching stories bound to capture the American imagination, but they’d also importantly shed light on the crisis we have in this country with trafficking. The best way to limit future trafficking victims is to limit demand by exposing those who are running trafficking rings and those who “purchase” services from these victims.
Whether news media decides to more credibly investigate other missing persons cases or not, it appears something constructive will come out of all of the coverage and interest in the Gabby Petito case. The Petito family is starting a foundation to help families attempt to locate their missing loved ones. Kudos to the Petito's for turning their nightmare into a catalyst for recovering those who’ve gone missing but haven’t received the media’s attention.