By Ailene Torres and Natalia Mielczerk
The Tennesean
Published: 5/1/06
Excerpt:
A local investigation into a missing child has
garnered some national media attention despite criticism that the
industry ignores cases involving minority children.
But
the picture of a pigtailed Analyce Guerra, a Smyrna 2-year-old, may
have catapulted the missing girl's case to the national stage.
"It's incredibly difficult to predict which ones
will and which ones won't become a national phenomenon," said Al
Tompkins, a former news director at WSMV Channel 4 now with the Poynter
Institute, a journalism center in Florida.Inquiries
into Analyce's disappearance by the Fox News Network and CNN began less
than 24 hours after she was reported missing, Smyrna police Sgt. Ken
Hampton said.
Several factors play into a
story's national appeal. If there is little other interesting national
news, that could inadvertently give momentum to a story, Tompkins said
without speaking specifically about Analyce's disappearance.
More of this article...
Search for more quotes by Al Tompkins...
