The story of Gabby Petito won't be disappearing from media coverage any time soon, but that doesn't mean others like it shouldn't come to light.
The 22-year-old Petito – backed by a large social media following – and her boyfriend-turned-fugitive Brian Laundrie have captivated Americans and infiltrated the 24-hour news cycle. This story also highlights a different discussion: Why isn't the media covering the hundreds of women, mainly people of color, who go missing each and every year?
Coined "Missing White Woman Syndrome" by PBS Journalist Gwen Ifill in 2004, the issue centers on mainstream media's endless coverage of missing white women and failure to broadcast stories of missing women of color.
San Francisco State University Journalism Professor and former reporter Venise Wagner told KCBS Radio's "Bay Current" on Wednesday that journalists normally broadcast stories based on what audiences crave from the news cycle. "A lot of what we do as journalists is unconscious bias," she said. "Society permeates a lot of what we do as journalists."
A police officer stands outside the home of Brian Laundrie, who is a person of interest after his fiancé Gabby Petito went missing on September 20, 2021 in North Port, Florida.Octavio Jones/Getty Images
Now, the term has been brought back at the forefront.
Wagner hopes it leads to a larger, more productive dialogue.
