Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask why Alice Gross' disappearance is not front page news!?

47 replies

MrsWinnibago · 10/09/2014 09:49

This young girl has been missing for some time now and the newspapers have not given it half enough space!

They're running shitty stories on the top lines when she should be front and centre surely?

Where has she gone? It's very upsetting. :( I know there are other children missing too....why are the newspapers putting stories about royal babies and watches on the front pages!?

OP posts:
mignonette · 10/09/2014 09:51

Because their priorities are fucked.

ALessThanGlitteringCareer · 10/09/2014 09:53

The Telegraph reported a man had been arrested for suspected murder three days ago, so I wonder if the story is being deliberately downplayed for some reason at the request of the police.

It does seem very odd otherwise Sad

LatteLoverLovesLattes · 10/09/2014 09:53

I know :(

It is astounding the number of people, including teenagers, who go missing that we don't hear about. It's scary.

I'm not sure if you are on the thread we are bumping or not, but it doesn't feel like it's achieving very much. It does need to be all over the news.

mig is right :(

OrangeTart · 10/09/2014 09:55

Was it not in the news a day or two ago that someone had been arrested in connection with the disappearance?
As said as it is, I am sure there are many missing teenagers and they can't all be headline news and quite frankly if there are no developments then, whilst it is the most important thing in the world in the lives of her family and friends it is not news.

Hpparent · 10/09/2014 09:55

Both suspects have been released. I think the family and Find Alice campaign have done a good job keeping it in the news so far but if there is nothing new, the papers don't want to know.

Original poster
MrsWinnibago · 10/09/2014 09:55

I didn't see another thread Latte would you mind linking please? It's so sad...I don't know if it's because Alice is such a lovely looking and creative girl and reminds me of so many girls I know but it's really affected me.

I understand they released a 25 year old man on bail pending enquries yesterday but I may be out of date on the news.

OP posts:
OrangeTart · 10/09/2014 09:55

Sad not said oops

Original poster
MrsWinnibago · 10/09/2014 09:56

HP yes....they only cover stories if there's something salacious or shocking in them. :( The bloody arseholes!

OP posts:
MMcanny · 10/09/2014 09:57

Once someone is charged there's a ban on reporting.

LatteLoverLovesLattes · 10/09/2014 09:57

ALess two men were arrested

51 year old man arrested in Hanwell has been released without charge.

25 year old man arrested in Ealing has been bailed to return.

The police have asked people to get the information out there, so I don't think it would be them getting it downplayed. I could be wrong of course, but they certainly wouldn't be getting it downplayed in all missing persons cases and you barely hear about them :(

MyFairyKing · 10/09/2014 09:58

No one has been charged though.

Original poster
MrsWinnibago · 10/09/2014 09:59

They are still reporting MM they haven't charged anyone.

OP posts:
tiktok · 10/09/2014 09:59

There are often very sound reasons why a story like this does not maintain a high level of coverage.

This one would normally be of great interest to the media.

The fact they are not covering it wall-to-wall in this case may have everything to do with the way the police enquiry is going.

It's naive to think the media are somehow bored with it....

LatteLoverLovesLattes · 10/09/2014 10:00

MrsW This is the thread Here

ALessThanGlitteringCareer · 10/09/2014 10:01

Ah ok. It makes even less sense then.

ValerieTheVodkaFairy · 10/09/2014 10:02

I'm also quite surprised that it hasn't got more coverage. She is very young, only 14, and I can think of girls of a similar age whose disappearance had a lot more press coverage, front page of the nationals etc. The media usually goes into overdrive when a pretty, clever girl from a nice family goes missing.

micah · 10/09/2014 10:03

Because sometimes huge press coverage doesn't help. There is always a lot going on behind the scenes, and the police nearly always have a good handle on it, only arranging press conferences etc if it'll help the case.

There are hundreds of missing kids cases, sadly. There's not the time or resources for all of them. The ones that catch the publics imagination are the ones that make the press...

LatteLoverLovesLattes · 10/09/2014 10:06

I disagree with you tiktok. I think that unless something 'interesting' happens on a daily basis the media do 'lose interest' because 'still missing, nothing new to report' doesn't sell papers.

I think it's naive to think that well of the media.

Hpparent · 10/09/2014 10:08

Well the police are controlling the media coverage but I don't think there is some big conspiracy to keep it quiet but I do think that 14 year olds going missing is quite common sadly. I know that one tabloid has been out trying to dig the dirt but haven't got very far. It has been in all the national papers (at least the London editions) ITV and BBC news, but I don't think they will run it day on day without a new angle.

The reason this case got more coverage was because she was vulnerable due to illness and because the family and friends organized a poster campaign via social media. I think everyone has clung to the hope she was missing voluntarily - which could still be the case.

If you are interested there is a FB page, you can put up posters and wear a yellow ribbon on Thursday.

UncleT · 10/09/2014 10:18

Nothing much about war in Europe the last two days either, and yet we still get told that Ashya King has just had breakfast, is about to have a scan, is due to leave for the clinic soon, etc, etc. There are some weird priorities in the media. (NB - nothing against the child, it's just enough is enough now).

QuintessentiallyQS · 10/09/2014 10:25

They dont need press coverage if they dont suspect she is on the run somewhere, so the public dont need to be looking out for her.
There is nothing for the press to say, if the police is not telling them anything new.

QuintessentiallyQS · 10/09/2014 10:30

The media is not covering the volcanic activity any more, now that we dont seem to head into another ash cloud crisis. However, the north of Norway smell like eggy farts right now, as the wind blows the sulphur across. A good job it is automn, and raining up there.

Lets hope the wind does not change, London smell bad enough as it is! Grin

Tiredmumno1 · 10/09/2014 10:38

I said the exact same thing over on the other thread, it should stay top of the uk news. She is still a child, her poor family, must beside themselves.

FarelyKnuts · 10/09/2014 10:53

140,000 children go missing across the UK on average every year. That's about 385 per day. While quite a lot return many dint and many do not get any media coverage at all.
You are much much more likely to get media coverage if you are white pretty and MC like Alice.
While I am not saying it is not absolutely tragic what is happening for her/her family, how is not having constant media coverage at this stage of things "not giving it half enough space" considering the sheer amount of missing children?

FarelyKnuts · 10/09/2014 10:54

*don't not dint

Swipe left for the next trending thread