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missing white woman syndrome

n. (context derogatory English) The disproportionate media coverage of a missing person or similar case involving a young, white, upper-middle class woman, contrasted with lesser coverage of males, non-white ethnicities, etc.

Wikipedia
Missing white woman syndrome

Missing white woman syndrome is a phrase used by social scientists and media commentators to describe the extensive media coverage, especially in television, of missing person cases involving young, white, upper middle class women or girls. The phenomenon is defined as the media's undue focus on upper-middle-class white women who disappear, with the disproportionate degree of coverage they receive being compared to cases of missing women of other ethnicities and social classes, or with missing males of all social classes and ethnicities.

The PBS news anchor Gwen Ifill is said to be the originator of the phrase. Charlton McIlwain, a professor at New York University defines the syndrome: "White women occupy a privileged role as violent crime victims in news media reporting." Although the term was coined to describe disproportionate coverage of missing person cases, it is sometimes used to describe the disparity in news coverage of other violent crimes. Missing white woman syndrome has led to a number of tough on crime measures named for white women who went missing and were subsequently found harmed.

Moody, Dorris and Blackwell (2008) concluded that in addition to race and class, factors such as supposed attractiveness, body size and youthfulness function as unfair criteria in the determination of newsworthiness in coverage of missing women. Also noteworthy was that news coverage of missing black women was more likely to focus on the victim’s baggage, such as abusive boyfriends or a troubled past, while coverage of white women tends to focus on their roles as mothers or daughters.