Amber Alert's Future, The Multiplying Effect of Communication

There has been a pattern recently in the national media. Typically patterns of mass media have been not for the better. My examples would be the over indulging coverage of Michael Jackson and his molestation trial, the runaway bride, Scott Peterson and even Terri Schiavo. The media certainly did not continue to cover these topics from the abundance of new material everyday. Far from it. I remember for both the Peterson and Jackson trials, there would be no new information for days, but CNN, Fox, NBC, CBS and others would still have back to back to back shows with these trials as topics of discussion. Bad trend.

Good trend; The attention the media has taken to the missing children stories. On my drive/commute to work each day in Phoenix, AZ there are the over head signs on the interstate to post traffic problems ahead, pollution reminders and Amber Alerts. Since September 2002 there have been 18 Amber Alerts in Arizona. The success rate for finding them? 100%. It does not take an actuary to figure out this system works.

The media is in an amazing position to help. Fox News will often have Amber Alert segments when a child is missing. Obviously the media is not able to cover every missing child, but even if they are covering 1 missing child at a time in their news, I think they are doing a big part.

This coverage serves all interests;
The Child - If Fox News or CNN have 5 million viewers at any given time during the day or night, and an Amber Alert is flashed on the screen with a picture and short clip on the dissappearance of a child, this in essence recruits 5 million sets of eyes to be on the lookout.

The Viewer - I would think everyone who cares enough to turn on the news would be interested in most any missing child story. The satisfaction of seeing a missing child found is rewarding to the viewer even though they do not know the child, live in a different state with no personal connection to the child or family.

The Media - They are driven by ratings because ratings bring revenue. The media knows "The Viewer"may be more interested in missing child stories as any story. The media wants to capitalize on this, therefore they show the Amber Alerts. Here we have an example of how the dollar will produce an immeasureable service to the community.

This good story does not stop there. The Amber Alert system is still in it's infancy. An article which paints a good picture of where this is heading is; http://www.fcw.com/article84565-11-14-04-Print. The article dated 11/2004. Sign up for the Amber Alert through the link below. You can sign up right now to receive a text message on your cell phone, a page on your pager or an email. These mediums are turned into Amber Alert signs instantly. If there are 2 million cell phones in greater Phoenix, there would be 2 million more eyes and ears recruited. The benefit here, is this number of people are contained in a geographic arena surrounding the where the kidnapping originated.

Per the article, " According to the Amber Alert portal, time is the enemy when it comes to finding abducted children. Seventy-four percent of kidnappers who kill abducted children do so within three hours of taking them. Message system technology combats the time barrier with real-time information."

Go to AmberAlert911 right now and volunteer to be jacked into the child finding network! We could be a "first recoverer." A missing child, the media, and the public... a symbiotic relationship.

Be sure to hit 'reply' at the bottom of this post to add your name to the list of those who already have signed up. The goal is to inspire 100 more sets of eyes and ears.