To wonder why the disappearance of Nora Quoirin....

[LEELULUMPKIN]

Is not getting far more media coverage?

Drone footage of the search area is being shown on the news. Pray they find her soon.

Poor, poor kid and her family.

Just heard the mother's voice recording. Absolutely soul destroying, the poor poor family.

It's good they've found footprints that may belong to her, I'm feeling more hopeful now.

It is very sad indeed and I feel horrible for her family, but I'm baffled by how much coverage this story is getting in the British press. I bet if she was French or Dutch it would never have made the TV news at all.

I've seen loads of news articles about it and heard about it on the radio and the television. I'm in Northern Ireland and one of her parents is from here so it may be getting more coverage here because of that.

I saw her parents on GMB this morning making an appeal. Hope she is found safe soon.

I think if the parents say she was abducted then that is very likely. Parents know their children. They are adamant she wouldnt have wandered off on her own.
Poor parents, it is a horrendous situation.
I hope she is found soon.

It is a terrifying and devastating story. There is now a GoFundMe page and I have just donated.

One of my relatives was missing and it was extremely traumatic. I can't imagine facing this in another country and in these circumstances..

Desperately hoping for positive news soon.

Ive seen loads of coverage. In fact was just reading about in on an online newspaper 10 mins ago

She is not actually British although they lived in London so that may be one reason why - they aren't being assisted by the British consulate but the French and Irish consular services. UK news obviously tends to focus on British cases as they can't cover all cases of missing persons or abductions from different countries.

I have a young adult autistic DS and he is very quiet and reserved, but he does leave the house to go to limited places on his own so I wouldn't immediately assume he wouldn't be capable of wandering off on his own.

Joy is an adult who was murdered by someone she knew. She was an adult who went missing initially. Lots of adults go missing every year, few are murdered. Many are never reported in the press.

First of all Joy WAS an adult, not is and a very young one at 20 yrs old. Secondly i’m not entirely sure how any of that justified the lack of media coverage. It is quite clear some cases (mostly white children, and predominately girls) tend to get a lot of coverage. Other cases not so much. I think Nora’s case has been covered quite a bit, I've certainly seen it alot. Hope she is found soon and well.

Because she's not a "cute" little 4 year old, doesn't make for good press. It's Shocking.

This case is really sad, and I really hope that she is found safe and well.

I agree that some cases do get a lot more publicity than others. The vast majority of missing persons cases get no or very little publicity at all- I know it's easy to think that Nora is not getting much publicity when you compare it to some cases, but actually a lot of people are aware of the case, and it's being covered by all the major news outlets.

For contrast, have a look at this twitter feed and see if you recognize any of the other missing people as being mentioned on national news at all:
twitter.com/missingpeople

A lot are of a similar age to Nora. Obviously the circumstances may be very different, but I think it puts the news coverage her case is being given into perspective.

jangirl Research shows that children get the most coverage. Contrary to popular opinion boys get slightly more coverage than girls. White children do get more coverage than black children.

20 is an adult not a child. Research also shows that those who are living ordinary lives get the most coverage. I know nothing about Joy, but it was a month before she was reported missing. In general adults that go missing and are not reported for a while, are those who live chaotic lives where going missing by choice for a while would not be unusual. That may not be the case with Joy, but it will have been the assumption made.

So the facts are "Morgan, who would have turned 21 this month, was last seen in Ilford, east London, on Boxing Day at celebration at her church. The student made WhatsApp contact with people on her course the following day and was reported missing on 7 February." That will sound like a reporter that she voluntarily went missing, like thousands of other young adults.

Lots and lots of adults, many of them young, go missing every year. Those that get most press coverage is where it seems from the off as if something major has gone wrong. So mum disappears inexplicably leaving young children behind. A tiny percentage of missing adults are covered by the press. Being black would have worked against getting Joy press coverage. But Joy actually did get some press coverage unlike most adults that go missing. Although until it was clear that it was a murder enquiry she did not get a lot of coverage. That is what I would have expected.

@cora1942 I have no idea if she had wandered off or being abducted. But there are many cases where sometimes quite young and timid children have wandered off and the parents at the time swore blind their child would never have wandered off. Children do not always do what their parents expect them to.

Huge amount of coverage here in Ireland. Every time I turn on the radio there's a (non) update.

something definately odd about the whole thing....i hope shes found

I’ve seen quite a lot of coverage, and apparently it’s everywhere in the area she went missing. Poor love, I feel sick just thinking about it and hoping she’s ok.

From The Lucie Blackman Trust:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The family of Nóra Quoirin, 15, whose mother Meabh is from Belfast and whose father Sebastien is French, have today released the following statement.

“Nóra is a very special person. She is fun, funny, and extremely loving. With her family, she is very affectionate - family is her whole world and she loves to play games, like Cat Bingo, with us. She likes to tell us silly jokes and wear clever, colourful t-shirts. She is not like other teenagers. She is not independent and does not go anywhere alone. Nóra was born with Holoprosencephaly; this means that she has a smaller brain. All her life she has spent a lot of time in hospital. When she was born, she needed operations to help her breathing. She has specialists that monitor her growth, her physical abilities and her strength, and especially her mental capacity. Nóra has always needed dedicated specialist educational provision, and now attends a school for children and young people with learning and communication difficulties.
Nóra and her family are bi-lingual and bi-cultural. Nóra is very proud that she can speak French as well as English. But her verbal communication is limited. Nóra can read like a young child, but she cannot write more than a few words. She has a good memory but she cannot understand anything conceptual. She is unable to do maths and so things like money are impossible to manage. She cannot make or receive phone calls independently. She can wash and dress herself, though she cannot manage buttons, and struggles to wash her hair. At school, she is learning to ride a bicycle properly. Nóra likes to walk with her family, but her balance is limited and she struggles with coordination. She has been to Asia, and many European countries before, and has never wandered off or got lost. Nóra is very sensitive. Outside the family, Nóra is very shy and can be quite anxious. Every night, her special time is for cuddles and a night-time story with her Mum. And she was extremely excited about the family holiday in Malaysia.”

That is the end of the statement. The family would again like to take this opportunity to express their sincere thanks to the Royal Malaysian Police, and all those searching for Nóra. Some of these people have been working all day, every day and the family cannot express their gratitude enough.

ENDS

EDITOR’S NOTES

The images on this page are free for use and distribution – including newly released photo 3 – please credit LBT/FAMILY.

Please do publish the appeal poster with contact information. Please include Lucie Blackman Trust intelligence details – [email protected] – +44 800 098 8485 in any reporting for sightings and information

The audio version of this statement, as read by Nora’s Aunt, Eadoin, can be found here: soundcloud.com/rte-radio-1/drivetime-eadaoin-agnew and is free for use. Credit RTE

The Lucie Blackman Trust is handling all media for the family and any enquiries should be directed to [email protected]. PLEASE DO NOT APPROACH THE FAMILY OR FRIENDS.

Just watching it on the main news now.

We are also quite affected by this Op ,my son also has severe learning disabilities and autism , can't imagine her parents anguish

The helicopter with thermal imaging that has been over the area would of been able to see her wouldn't they?
From documentaries I have seen in the past, even in very thick dense trees etc you can still be seen?

She is on my mind constantly, I hope to God she is ok 😔

I don't know the extent of her learning disa abilities but my son would happily take the hand of anyone of anyone who offered it ,he's so vulnerableI i feel so much for her family they must be going through hell.

Oh this is so heartbreaking, the poor girl I will keep praying for her.

Even I have seen this story and I don’t read the news
Awful , nothing helpful to add