British readers may have noted the story about the disappearance of a London teenager Alice Gross( her sister has set up a Facebook page entitled "FindAlice Gross" incidentally). Whilst any humane or decent individual(irrespective of race or sex) can only hope that she is found safe and well, for my part I have long been bemused by what media observers in both the UK and US call"the missing white woman/girl syndrome"( the all time champ of this trend must be Madeleine "Maddie" McCann) to exclusion of missing non-whites( African Americans, Hispanics, Black and Asian Britons) and missing boys and men(irrespective of their racial origins or skin colour).

Given that we all tend to identify with those whom we feel a kinship with and that print and TV journalism in both countries is the most notoriously lily white of professions, it is hardly surprisng that reporters tend to spend more time or show more interest when the missing person looks like either their daughter or the girl/lady next door.

Also, journalists tend to be middle class as well as white( hence missing people of either sex who are working class tend to attract less interest than their middle class fellows).

Anybody think as I do?

Terry