During MCLA’s recent annual Day of Dialogue, taking place on October 23rd, MCLA students, faculty, and staff gathered for a discussion led by Shela Levante that highlighted a social crisis often overlooked by mainstream media: the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW), and the biases that keep their cases underreported.
Levante’s presentation, part of this year’s Day of Dialogue theme of “Erasure,” delved into the disturbing disparities in media coverage of missing persons and the structural racism contributing to those disparities.
The discussion tackled the issue of “Missing White Woman Syndrome”—a term referring to the disproportionate media attention granted to cases of missing white women compared to those of minority backgrounds, especially Indigenous women.
Levante shared research illustrating the way media bias shapes which cases receive national attention. “If I were to go missing today, a maximum of 19.2% of Americans would hear my story,” she stated, shedding light on the grim reality for missing Indigenous individuals, who media organizations rarely deem “newsworthy.”
The impact on Indigenous women and girls is devastating, as they experience violence at disproportionately high rates. Studies reveal that Indigenous women are murdered at a rate ten times higher than women of other ethnic backgrounds, yet their stories receive a fraction of the exposure, compared to similar cases involving white women.
Levante’s presentation provided a comprehensive overview of the MMIW epidemic and explored the deep-rooted structural racism that governs media coverage.
Attendees engaged in interactive discussions and reflective questioning. One notable reflection question encouraged students to reflect on how societal biases influence the likelihood of media coverage if they, or a loved one, went missing.
“Are you press-worthy?”
Levante stressed the importance of social media as a powerful tool to amplify underreported issues, noting that increased public awareness could eventually lead to greater visibility for the MMIW crisis. “The more people are educated… over time, visibility is going to happen,” she shared, urging attendees to advocate for change.
In closing, Levante provided resources for advocacy and underscored the importance of awareness and allyship in addressing the systemic neglect Indigenous women face. She emphasized that self-education and participation in discussions like the one she had led that day are crucial steps toward understanding and combating this crisis.
Support can be shown through additional simple, but effective acts, such as wearing red on May 5th for Red Dress Day or posting online to bring attention to these ongoing issues.
A moment of silence was held toward the end of the session, a poignant reminder to honor the Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirits who were denied justice. Just before, Levante shared troubling statistics: an overwhelming 84% of Indigenous women experience violence, with 95% of cases receiving no media coverage.
Out of 5,712 cases that have been logged recently, only a mere 2% received media attention of any kind.
With alarming statistics like these and a decline in the birth rate of Indigenous women by half from the 1970s to 1980s, Levante noted the erasure of Indigenous women and their culture continues in multifaceted ways—ranging from the concept of the ideal victim and victim-blaming to underrepresentation in newsrooms. As an Indigenous woman herself, she expressed if she were to go missing, she is “counting on you because [she] can’t count on the media.”
Levante’s session not only raised awareness but posed a call to action, urging attendees to reflect, educate themselves, and stand in solidarity with Indigenous communities. Her presentation made it clear; confronting media bias and advocating for visibility are critical steps toward justice and lasting change.
Interested in deeming just how press worthy you are, Levante shared a resource that determines how many media stories you would appear in based on your demographics including age, gender, and race, produced by Columbia Journalism Review: areyoupressworthy.com
So, are you press worthy?
