A Bay Area news anchor has reportedly been suspended indefinitely following a conflict over coverage of the Gabby Petito case.
KTVU news anchor Frank Somerville was removed from air after he attempted to shed light on the phenomenon known as "missing white woman syndrome," The Mercury News and SFGATE reported.
Gabby Petito's missing person and homicide case has garnered massive amounts of media attention since her disappearance in August, leading some to question why similar cases of missing women of color have not received the same coverage. Some believe it is an example of "missing white woman syndrome" where missing white women and girls are more heavily focused on in the media than missing women of color.
According to a source at KTVU, Somerville asked the television station if he could speak on the phenomenon, hoping to add a short sidebar to the story highlighting how Black women in America experience higher rates of domestic violence than white women, SFGATE said.
KTVU denied Somerville's request, citing that it was inappropriate to link the story to domestic violence before any suspects have been convicted. The news anchor was indefinitely suspended the following day, however it's not clear what transpired when his request was denied.
KCBS Radio has reached out to both KTVU and Somerville for comment but did not immediately hear back.
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