A missing persons notice was issued for a pregnant African-American woman in Philadelphia after she went missing July 18. The young woman’s remains were found a month later.

Do you know her name?

A Caucasian woman takes a vacation in Aruba and is abducted. She is still missing 93 days later.

Do you know her name?

A pregnant Caucasian woman goes missing in California in Dec. 2002. She was confirmed dead in August 2003. Do you remember her name?

With that said, there has been much media attention lately over the perception that missing persons of color receive less news coverage than their Caucasian counterparts.

The blog-o-sphere, Internet and radio talk shows frequently discuss the issue of a perceived bias on the part of the news media, and most people believe the hype.

“If you aren’t young, pretty, blonde and a female, your story will easily lose ground to the Natalee Holloways,” said Emmanuel Marthol, a junior communication major at East-West University in Chicago.

I conducted a recent unscientific poll at NIU. I asked if people believe if there is a media-bias concerning missing persons in relation to race.

Of the 50 students interviewed – 25 black and 25 white – 100 percent of African-Americans thought the news media focuses more attention on missing white persons than any other racial group.

Less than half the Caucasian students found a media bias.

An avid news watcher myself, I couldn’t help but know the young woman missing in Aruba is Natalee Holloway. Nor can I forget about the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the death of Laci Peterson. Yet what about the people of color all across this nation who go missing?

Emory University psychology professor Drew Westen stated recently in an interview with CNN that “many people still lack the ability to empathize with those viewed as different from themselves.”

Could this be the disposition of the news media?

The facts would relay an affirmative.

While I do not want to point a castigating finger of absolute contempt toward my television or completely wish the worst on CNN and Fox, I do wish to hold news outlets accountable for coverage.

Why? Because the coverage consistently tells viewers and grieving families that certain lives mean more than others.

Only after constant calls from various community organizations in Houston for responsible journalism, did some news networks bring viewers the story of Tamika Huston, a black woman who went missing from Houston in May 2004.

Yet, the coverage for Huston didn’t come for over a year after she went missing.

But why the need for so much fuss, fight and polished sales pitch?

After all, your child is missing.

Aired in early August 2005, Dateline focused an entire segment on Huston, and the overall issue of the perceived media attention given to white women over other racial groups.

According to the report, Huston’s family reportedly contacted NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox, and MSNBC in hopes to get coverage on Tamika.

They reportedly received no responses back.

With everything stated however, Dateline and NBC bring hope to the conversation.

By focusing more media attention on the unfair coverage given to certain segments of the American population over others, hopefully media outlets will begin to earnestly change focus.

But unfortunately, right now, too many news organizations consistently decide their audiences care most about the tragedies that afflict only a portion of the American community. The portion who are white.

As a result, another person’s family, who love their missing child just the same, hear dial tones on the other end of the line.

By the way, Latoyia Figueroa is the name of the pregnant African-American woman who was found a month later in Pennsylvania.

Columns reflect the opinion of the author and not necessarily that of the Northern Star staff.