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CNN Sunday Morning
Interview With Ann Schofield
Aired December 07, 2003 - 08:12 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: So let's pick it up from there then this morning and talk about the vast numbers of missing kids and the lack of information about them. Joining us from Washington is Ann Schofield, manager of Project Alert at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Thanks so much for being with us this morning. So how much truth do you think there is to some of the comments in Anderson Cooper's package there talking about race and class actually being a factor in which cases are picked up by the media?
ANN SCHOFIELD, NCMEC: Undoubtedly, there is a distinction in the number of cases covered by journalists, missing children. The media certainly plays a vital role in the recovery of missing children, we believe.
However, the National Center places the same emphasis on every single missing child, making them available to the media for coverage. Why the media selects one case over another is purely speculative.
The U.S. Department of Justice statistics indicate nearly 800,000 children go missing every year. That does break down to about 2,000 per day. The reasons, perhaps as Anderson indicated, geographical areas certainly, the regional location, the circumstances surrounding the abduction, and certainly the principals involved.
COLLINS: Well, that's a great example right now with the case that we're dealing with, with Dru Sjodin. Obviously, there was some drama in this case with that cell phone call where she was talking to her boyfriend and suddenly said, "Oh, my god. No, no." And that was the last thing that anyone heard from her.
How much of a role does the drama play or the interesting detail?
SCHOFIELD: I believe that's a newsworthy story, you'll agree. And certainly your audience, you want to provide that kind of information for.
However, of all the children missing annually, we want to place the emphasis on each one. As you can imagine, every parent of a missing child would like to have the same high-profile status placed on that child's case.
COLLINS: So Ms. Schofield, aren't you in a difficult position, then, if you do mind me interrupting, because I know that you need the media? You have to work closely with the media in order to get attention out about these children, and yet it must be frustrating to know that you can't get it out about every one of them?
SCHOFIELD: Exactly. The National Center is there to provide hope for families, never to give up. And so we use every resource possible. And the media has been a great partner in that effort.
COLLINS: Let me just ask you this then, what is it that the media could do to try to get more of these names out there? When you see the stepfather of little Alexis Patterson, you can certainly see his frustration as well.
SCHOFIELD: Yes. There are some media outlets and resources that have used very creative means in assisting us. There are some media outlets that run bumpers of missing children's names, photographs of missing children on every newscast.
Logging into our Web site, missingkids.com, will provide the media with hundreds of cases of missing children. Giving us a call at our 1-800 number. 1-800-the-loss, as you indicated earlier. We can provide even more details to the media outlet. We encourage strongly that the media provide as much information on as many cases as possible.
COLLINS: Well, we will continue to try to do just that. Ann Schofield, from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, thanks so much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired December 7, 2003 - 08:12 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: So let's pick it up from there then this morning and talk about the vast numbers of missing kids and the lack of information about them. Joining us from Washington is Ann Schofield, manager of Project Alert at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Thanks so much for being with us this morning. So how much truth do you think there is to some of the comments in Anderson Cooper's package there talking about race and class actually being a factor in which cases are picked up by the media?
ANN SCHOFIELD, NCMEC: Undoubtedly, there is a distinction in the number of cases covered by journalists, missing children. The media certainly plays a vital role in the recovery of missing children, we believe.
However, the National Center places the same emphasis on every single missing child, making them available to the media for coverage. Why the media selects one case over another is purely speculative.
The U.S. Department of Justice statistics indicate nearly 800,000 children go missing every year. That does break down to about 2,000 per day. The reasons, perhaps as Anderson indicated, geographical areas certainly, the regional location, the circumstances surrounding the abduction, and certainly the principals involved.
COLLINS: Well, that's a great example right now with the case that we're dealing with, with Dru Sjodin. Obviously, there was some drama in this case with that cell phone call where she was talking to her boyfriend and suddenly said, "Oh, my god. No, no." And that was the last thing that anyone heard from her.
How much of a role does the drama play or the interesting detail?
SCHOFIELD: I believe that's a newsworthy story, you'll agree. And certainly your audience, you want to provide that kind of information for.
However, of all the children missing annually, we want to place the emphasis on each one. As you can imagine, every parent of a missing child would like to have the same high-profile status placed on that child's case.
COLLINS: So Ms. Schofield, aren't you in a difficult position, then, if you do mind me interrupting, because I know that you need the media? You have to work closely with the media in order to get attention out about these children, and yet it must be frustrating to know that you can't get it out about every one of them?
SCHOFIELD: Exactly. The National Center is there to provide hope for families, never to give up. And so we use every resource possible. And the media has been a great partner in that effort.
COLLINS: Let me just ask you this then, what is it that the media could do to try to get more of these names out there? When you see the stepfather of little Alexis Patterson, you can certainly see his frustration as well.
SCHOFIELD: Yes. There are some media outlets and resources that have used very creative means in assisting us. There are some media outlets that run bumpers of missing children's names, photographs of missing children on every newscast.
Logging into our Web site, missingkids.com, will provide the media with hundreds of cases of missing children. Giving us a call at our 1-800 number. 1-800-the-loss, as you indicated earlier. We can provide even more details to the media outlet. We encourage strongly that the media provide as much information on as many cases as possible.
COLLINS: Well, we will continue to try to do just that. Ann Schofield, from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, thanks so much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
