On the 18th of  September the body of 28-year-old Sabina Nessa was found, only five minutes away from her home in Cator Park, Kidbrooke. Reports however suggest she was killed the day prior, as she left her home to attend a local pub. 

For many, this news immediately revived memories of the death of Sarah Everard which occurred just six months prior. Sarah was murdered whilst walking home from a friend’s house on the evening of March 3rd. Her death sparked outrage across the country as issues of women’s safety were perpetuated in the media daily. This was a pivotal moment in discussions surrounding violence against women, we mourned the loss our Sarah whilst collectively sharing personal experiences of harassment and being made to feel unsafe. 

Now, we have the death of another young woman to grapple with. Whilst attention on the death of Sabina has begun to increase, initially, there was a significant lack of media attention. This becomes especially apparent when we compare both cases. However, it appears to me that heavy social media pressure has essentially forced her story into the spotlight as we see more mainstream media outlets beginning to report her story. A quick search through tags of her name uncovers not only posts of support and awareness but criticism towards the lack of her attention on her case.  There is no doubt that a heavy media focus can be crucial in ongoing investigations, especially when appealing for witnesses. So, why was her story, in its initial stages, not given a platform in the hope of obtaining more information?

This leads to an important question: is there a selection bias when it comes to reporting the murders of ethnic minorities? What else can account for such discrepancies within the media? We have two cases of young women being murdered. They should spark the same outrage and command the same attention. But I do not think we have given Sabina Nessa, and her story, justice. At the time of her death, the dance reality show Strictly Come Dancing was receiving four times the amount of press than her. 

In the US the recent case of 22-year-old Gabby Petitio has too called out discrepancies of media coverage when it comes to ethnic minorities. Gabby was reported missing on the 11th of September, and her body was found a week later on the 18th of September. 

In the days leading up to the discovery of her body, her image was circulated widely throughout the US, with daily updates regarding her case. CBS news featured an interview with the co-founder of the Black and Missing Foundation, Derrica Wilson who argued that ‘Gabby Petito’s disappearance highlights racial disparity in media coverage of people who go missing.’ Wilson goes on to elaborate that ‘Media coverage often ignores people of colour’ and unless you fit the demographic, this being a white woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, your story is not ‘sensational’ enough.  She labels this ’Missing white women syndrome’. The foundation says that ‘nearly 40% of missing people of colour rarely make headlines.’

Ultimately, what we have here are two devastating deaths of young women. My deepest condolences and sympathy’s go out to both families. However, the focus has been on disparities in media coverage. It is not hard to see that Sarah Everard received a lot more media attention than Sabina. Even now as Sarah’s murderer, police officer Wayne Couzen’s has been sentenced, the coverage regarding her murder has increased.

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