Gabby Petito and the Media’s Missing White Woman Syndrome

 - Content warning: this article contains discussions of domestic violence and murder. -

Photo by David von Diemar on Unsplash

 When we were stuck at home during the beginning of this pandemic, the only thing many of us could do to safely keep ourselves engaged and connected was to watch Netflix or similar streaming platforms. True crime was one genre that kept people talking (Tiger King comes to mind), but those events are more abstract to us usually as these people are on television, and not our loved ones and neighbors. So what happens when we are faced with a scenario where something truly unimaginable happens in front of our eyes that requires attention and urgency like a missing or murdered loved one or neighbor? 

Unfortunately, this scenario isn’t as uncommon as one might think, as evidenced by the confirmed murder of Gabby Petito, a 22-year-old Long Island woman who traveled across the country with her now missing boyfriend and person of interest, Brian Laundrie. The media quickly latched onto this case and took us on a roller coaster with consistent new developments which seem to only create more questions than answers as the days go by. This case is very disturbing, so it raises several valid questions about abusive relationships and missing and murdered women, but the intense media coverage also begs a question of the legitimacy of “missing white woman syndrome,” a term coined by PBS news anchor, Gwen Ifill.

This is not to say that the case of a murdered white woman isn’t disturbing, and not worth media coverage. This is a situation of a potential narcissistic, abusive relationship that has ended in the way most fear. Yet it is important that we acknowledge that black and indigenous women will also face the unimaginable fate of being murdered by a significant other, an ex or a stranger, but the difference will be that Dog the Bounty Hunter won’t be knocking on the suspected killer’s door, nor will the national news have your name in bold each day with updates unlike many missing and murdered white women, the latest being Gabby Petito. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a study in 2017 that found that half of female homicide victims were murdered by an intimate partner, and that statistic alone is disturbing. However, this same study found that black and indigenous women will be murdered by an intimate partner at a more significant rate than white women, yet media coverage favors the white female victims more often than the black and indigenous victims. In the case of indegenous women specifically, the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women: Wyoming State Report found that “Only 30% of Indigenous homicide victims had newspaper media coverage, as compared to 51% of White homicide victims. Indigenous female homicide victims had the least amount of newspaper media coverage (18%)”. For black women, they made up 90,333 out of the 268,884 women and girls reported missing in 2020 which is 34%. These are disturbing statistics that need to be evaluated when we look at how the media covers missing and murdered black and indigenous women, and begins to shed light on why disproportionate coverage of missing and murdered white women is an issue that black and indigenous activists have been trying to shed light on for decades.

The issue of missing white woman syndrome in the media is being addressed by organizations like Our Black Girls and the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center who work to raise awareness about the disproportionate violence black and indigenous women will face along with the limited media attention received for these women. It is important to take the time to listen to the voices of black and indigenous women when discussing missing white woman syndrome as disproportionate media coverage for black and indigenous women is a genuine issue in how our media reports true crime. Gabby Petito is an instance of this happening yet again in the media. Although her case is severe and requires attention and care, the same should be given to all women, especially those who are disproportionately victimized. Our energy must be consistent in addressing violence against women.

Resources exist with the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence who are available for all victims of domestic violence who need assistance along with local organizations like the Grace Smith House for people in Dutchess County who need help. Remember, you are not alone, and seeking help is dignified and important.