CNN Breaking - Missing Boy Scout Found Alive

[RamboLiberal]

Missing scout Brennan Hawkins, 11, who was missing for four days has been found alive, volunteers tell CNN. Details soon.

http://www.cnn.com/

[deutsey]

1. Oh, I'm so glad to hear this

Some good news for a change.

[okieinpain]

15. man, that photoshop shit is really getting scary.

[mzmolly]

2. Thank goodness! It's so nice to have a little good news these days.

:)

[stevedeshazer]

3. Good news.

On to the DSM!

Oh, nevermind. :crazy:

[jsamuel]

4. cheer!!!

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. So gthe rest of the afternoon will be taken by this

(happy for the parents) insteand of the DSM... okay, noted

[onenote]

24. chill a bit

The media covered missing hiker/boy scout stories before DSM and will do so afterwards.

onenote

[Carni]

6. I am so happy to hear this!

That poor kids disappearance has really been bothering me! :(

[Gidney N Cloyd]

7. And now back to Aruba

[LightningFlash]

8. Another lost boyscout!!! Deflect attention from DSM.....

Drip...drip.dripdrip....

[48pan]

14. That's Disgusting.

You should be ashamed.

[ElectroPrincess]

17. This person HAS a point - Once the Corporate Media get their

teeth into any SENSATIONALIST story, they *obsess*. I'm happy for all concerned, can we NOW pay the proper attention to Cheney's corrupt Haliburton and the Downing Street Memos?!?

[48pan]

81. It's still disgusting. Is that who we are? I sure hope not.

[Barkley]

94. America needs to do some "soul searching"

Most of the missing adults tracked by the FBI are men. More than one-in-five of those abducted or kidnapped are black.

‘The virginal ... princess is missing’
“Who’s appealing? Who’s sexy?” she asked. “The virginal, pure, blond princess is missing. ... It has a lot to do with class and sexuality and ageism, not just race.”

Media under fire for missing persons coverage
Uneven emphasis on attractive white girls, women criticized
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8233195/

[underpants]

9. Just heard that from a co-worker GOOD NEWS

Wow I'll bet everyone is really relieved.

[xyboymil]

10. Anyone know where he was found? Great news...hope he is okay!

[RevolutionStartsNow]

11. Wow, that's great news!

For some reason this particular story touched me. Maybe it's because my son is only a bit younger than this boy and we have been hiking a lot this summer. I just really felt for the mother, who said she has been sitting in the camp looking up at the hills, wondering if her boy is up there.

[BlueStateGirl]

19. Me, too. When I saw his sister onTV earlier today, all I could think about

were my younger brothers.

Besides, it's nice to see one of these stories end happily.

[RevolutionStartsNow]

22. My daughter...

was being mean to her younger brother today (she's 13, he's 9), and I was telling my husband that as much as she complains about him, she would just be devastated if something like this happened to him. I wish she appreciated him more, but I suppose that will come with time.

It really is an amazing story, they found him about 5 miles from where he apparently started. They would not have found him without so many volunteers.

[snacker]

12. What wonderful news!

[MrPrax]

13. Didn't know he was missing?

I love being blissfully ignorant about such things...

[Chimpeach]

16. ~~~Sigh of relief ~~~

As a parent, I can't imagine how stressful this ordeal must have been. I am glad for his parents that it was a happy ending.

:)

[Dulcinea]

18. Hooray!

Kudos to all who looked for him!

[Walt Starr]

20. Finally SOME GOOD NEWS!

I'm so glad this is turning out well. Glad the boy is alive. Hope he's in good shape physically!

[brooklynite]

21. I wouldn't wish this situation on anyone, but...

...was this really a national news story?

[Walt Starr]

23. Only because of a similar disappearance same region last year

That's the only reason it became a national story. That, and the hope that it would lead to the capture of a sicko who prays on young boys.

[Sequoia]

72. Sure, that runaway nutty bride is old news now.

Any missing child found is good news. Thank God he wasn't in Florida, he'd be a gonner for sure.

[Zerex71]

25. File this under "Who Cares?"

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

26. yIKES!

Having a bad day?

[Zerex71]

28. No, I'm having a great day, but it's not newsworthy!

For Christ's sake, we're spending how many billions a week in Iraq and Afghanistan and yet what is covered in the news? Some kid who's a Boy Scout (apparently one who missed the orienteering course) is lost. Big.Fricking.Deal. NOT NEWSWORTHY!

[RevolutionStartsNow]

29. It's a human interest story

Anyone who has kids, or little brothers, or even a heart, can probably relate to this story just a little. As a parent, my stomach turns at the thought of one of my kids being lost and alone, and I was keeping this little boy in my thoughts.

Everything doesn't have to be about Iraq, Afghanistan or George F'in Bush. I realize that's it's a tragedy that so many young kids are getting their heads blown off for NOTHING, and that Bush and his gang are wrecking the economy and trashing the Constistution -- and I am outraged, but that doesn't prevent me from feeling something for this boy and his parents. I have enough room in my thoughts and my heart for both types of stories.

Personally I appreciate the break that these kinds of stories provide. It reminds me that sometimes little things are just as important as the Big Issues.

[Zerex71]

52. To who is this a human interest story?

Perhaps to family and close friends but Jesus Christ, if you are that glued to the TV and are riven with excitement by some kid getting lost, I don't have a lot of sympathy or understanding for you. Our media is supposed to be covering the issues that affect most people, and neither Jacko, nor the Aruba chick, or the missing Boy Scout constitute this. These appeal to a very tiny, very limited audience of people who cannot process anything more complex than that, meanwhile the government is guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors and it's hardly covered.

[RevolutionStartsNow]

73. Well, not to you, apparently...

But I bet a lot of people felt their heart go out to the worried parents...

And who said I was riveted to the TV on this story? It was kind of hard to miss. I saw it in the newspaper over the weekend, and I was hoping for a happy ending.

Yes I agree the media sensationalizes stories like this one, but that doesn't keep me from empathising with the family, as a parent and as a human being..

And maybe it's you who needs a break, if you can't muster even a tiny sigh of relief that a young boy was reunited with his parents.

[SoCalDem]

75. I think the "gripe" is that LOCAL interest stories are now NATIONAL ones

Think back... Not too many years ago, this would have been BIG news in UTAH, but only a mention or two in other areas.. You wouod have read about it, and said.."What a shame"..then after he was found, it would have been on the nightly news at the end, and everyone would then "put it away"..

These days, this human interest story and others like it, are MOST of what's covered in our NATIONAL 24-7 news.

CNN spoiled us for a lot of years, by really covering news, and they have morphed into a whole other beast.. One that avoids the "hard-work" in favor of the "feel-good" or "cry your eyes out" "stories".

[RevolutionStartsNow]

77. Agreed...

I've seen this happen to CNN over the years, and it's a damn shame. I blame OJ, I think it started then.

But there's a big leap from wanting the media to do their job and saying "Who the hell cares?" whne a lost little boy is found.

[SoCalDem]

78. OJ was the turning point..

People ate it up and asked for more.. so the formula was extended to all "news"..

I was very happy to hear that he was safe...but I don;t need for them to run with it as the top story for DAYS and DAYS (like they will)

They will probably re-show other stories similar to it, and drag out the tearjerker effect.. It almost cheapens the story of the rescued boy.

[onenote]

82. nice revisionist history

One of CNN's biggest moments was its coverage of "Baby Jessica" -- back in 1987, more than seven years before OJ. Taking local stories and giving them a national audience is something that CNN has done for nearly 20 years now. Why? Because people actually find some these stories interesting. Do they overplay them? Yes. But let's not pretend this is something new...

onenote

[Chimpeach]

31. Geez, dude! Be human.

[AngryOldDem]

32. Big fricking deal?

That an 11-year-old survived for almost a week in a very rough and dangerous terrain?

We can't take simple pleasure in good news anymore?

[Zerex71]

54. How is this good news?

As opposed to something about peace movements around the world; artistic developments and endeavors; historical and cultural finds in the world. These things are good news. If some kid gets lost and then is safe, well, I'm glad, but *it doesn't affect my life one iota*, and it doesn't affect yours, either.

Oh, I forgot. Silly me. Sensationalism sells!

[AngryOldDem]

80. How do you know

what affects me and what doesn't?

An 11-year-old child is out in the wilds of Utah for four days -- a situation that a mother and her daughter did not survive, and neither (apparently) did another Boy Scout -- and they find him alive and in relatively good shape.

No, that's not good news. Oh, I forgot. Cynicism disguised as sophisticated, urbane thought sells!

I don't know about you, but occasionally I like to take a break from the constant wailing and gnashing of teeth, and it takes nothing away from the rest of the good news that occurs in the world.

Let's just be happy for the kid and his parents. Is that asking too much?

P.S.: Please be sure to let Bob Scheiffer and CBS News know of your objections to this story as well. He led with it tonight.

[jobycom]

48. It helps motivate communities in similar circumstances

Stories like these help people understand the risks of missing children better, and since this one had a happy ending, help to give hope to others in similar circumstances. That results in greater responses to volunteer turnout for similar cases.

It's BIG FRICKING DEAL to some of us, and very newsworthy. There are other stories where the media is failing. Blast them for those failures.

[Zerex71]

55. If you need a news story to tell you about the risks of missing children

might I suggest an electronic leash for the kids around you? Because obviously that's what's needed, in lieu of common sense.

[rocktivity]

27. Absolutely fabulous, sweetie darling!

Oh, and cue that Vonage jingle!

:woohoo:
rocknation

[Logan_430]

30. This is great news.

[BamaLefty]

33. Missing boy found alive in Utah

Great!

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/06/21/missing.scout/index.html

[stopbush]

34. How about this quote?

"Thank goodness, thank God he's found," said Gregg Shields, national spokesman for the Boy Scouts. "The boy's safe, and that's what's important."

To which I'd add (in true Scout spirit), "that...and the fact that he's not gay."

[ladeuxiemevoiture]

36. Yeah, I saw that, too.

If there's a tape of that, it'd be interesting to listen if it was more like "Thank goodness <- er, I mean -> thank God..." because, of course, there's been a lot of controversy about how they've dug in their heels about mandating recognition of a higher power for all would-be Scouts.

[ladeuxiemevoiture]

35. Wonderful!

:)

[Brundle_Fly]

37. Distractor Strikes Again

Stay distracted....

Buckle up for three days of this ongoing speculation and myth creation on this.

[Brundle_Fly]

38. This is a f*cking local headline.

sure it's good I am glad they found him, but this has no business on CNN or the like, I am sure lots of kids at this very moment are missing, and getting coverage from their LOCAL stations.

Th

[jobycom]

42. A lot of us have kids close to that age, and stories like this

help people realize dangers they might not otherwise. It's more than a local story, and I'm glad it got coverage, and I'm glad it turned out great. There is plenty of time on the 24 hour news channels to cover the war, there's no reason to bash the media for covering stories that are of interest to people other than you.

Bash them for what they don't do. It's not like they'd cover anything against Bush no matter what other stories they quit covering.

[Branjor]

44. I guess...

unlike missing white boy scouts, missing blond white "chicks" are not of any interest to other people beyond her own family.

[jobycom]

46. What?

Are you saying the media doesn't cover missing blond women enough?

[Brundle_Fly]

47. SARCASM pretty easily detectable I might add.

So what about these kids?>

According to the National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrownaway Children conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice, the yearly estimates of each type of “missing child” are:

Lost, Injured, or Otherwise Missing: 438,200
Runaways: 450,700
Family Abductions: 354,100
Attempted Non-family Abductions: 114,600
Thrown-aways: 127,100
Non-family Abductions: 3,200 to 4,600

why don't we give a crap about them??

it's good the kid was found, these ones have not been found, and are in some case suffering much worse conditions, but if you want to cover one, you should cover them all.

let's move on/

[jobycom]

51. If you got your message out of his or her post, then you don't read well

Try again. He wasn't saying we should cover every missing kid story, he was sacrastically saying implying that boy scouts are covered more heavily than blond "chicks," as he put it.

And by the way, (sorry to go off here, but this really pisses me off) look at the numbers you just posted. Do you honestly think the media could cover even a tenth of those without numbing the nation to them? They choose one or two stories, and blast it out of proportion as a way to humanize the plight off all these missing kids. That may not be their intention, but it's the only way to keep people interested. Because of stories like this, people understand the value of search and rescue operations, they understand the grief and fear of parents in these situations. They are more likely to respond when called upon because of it.

It seems like people around here are saying either cover every single one of these missing kids, or don't cover any of them. Or else read off the statistics every day--people respond so well to statistics.

This missing kid had thousands of people searching for him. A little less coverage, and that might have been hundreds, or less, and who knows what the outcome may have been, then.

You can't cover them all. You can't put 450,700 faces of runaways on tv every night, or every week, or every month. You do what you can. It's never enough, but that doesn't mean you stop trying.

[Branjor]

71. Oh no....

I wasn't saying that boy scouts are covered more than blond "chicks" as you put it. I was reacting to your implication that the missing boy scout story had a broader appeal than the missing teenager in Aruba story becasuse "some people have kids his age." I think that some people have kids the same age as the teenage girl too and it therefore has as broad an appeal as the boy scout story. I really think that all of these stories are covered too much, as there are SO MANY missing children as was pointed out in an earlier post.

Jobycom, Brundle_Fly got my message better than you did.

[Brundle_Fly]

74. raZZberries.

V I N D I C A T I O N ! ! !

[jobycom]

85. If

you can point out how his Natalie Holloway comment relates to my story, you may find some vindication. As it stands, you and he are in on some private joke that seems to involve assumptions of facts that just aren't there. No vindication, just dual misassumptions.

[jobycom]

83. Well

Since you introduced the Aruba story without knowing what my opinion on it was, you and Brublde_Fly got a message that was in your head, but not on this thread.

For the record, I defended coverage of the Natalie Holloway's disappearance, too, which makes the implication of your sarcasm even less meaningful.

[Branjor]

86. I based it on......

the general treatment of the Natalee Holloway story here on DU as opposed to the (almost) universal celebration on this thread about the boy scout being OK. I am unable to monitor everyone's individual treatment of the Holloway story. I am sorry if I made an incorrect asssumption about you as an individual. And the pronoun is she, not he. Plus, I am totally unacquainted with Brundle_Fly.

[Brundle_Fly]

76. Of course I don't think the media

can cover all of these stories, but celebrating this as a fantastic miracle, or pointer to tips that might aide you if your child goes astray is a weak argument for wall to wall coverage this story is getting. They found him. It's over.

He was not abducted, abused, stolen, raped, sodimized, kidnapped or anything, he just got lost.

he was found, story over...

but it is not, they have been talking about it on every 24 hour station for the last two hours and I imagine they will close out the day covering it.

but

there is still hundreds of thousand missing children, in much, much worse scenarios, in much much more danger... but who gives a hoot, this little boy is fine/.

sorry, but this is hyporisy...

Save it for Maury Povich.

[jobycom]

84. Geeze, I'm glad you're not in charge of the world

Two hours of coverage is too much? So, everyone is tuned into the media 24 hours a day and hears the story as it is first told, and then for the two hours.

This was a significant story, and worth the coverage. I give a hoot, and judging from this thread, MOST DUers are still able to care about such things AND oppose Bush's bloody reign.

[Branjor]

53. Yes....

Very good point.

[Branjor]

50. Well, I don't follow it a lot....

I remember two - Elizabeth Smart and now the missing teenager in Aruba. The cases warrant coverage as neither were simply missing, but met with foul play. Elizabeth Smart's case was bizarre in that she was kidnapped by a polygamist - something that would only be done to a girl, so parents (esp. in Utah) need to know that there are such nuts out there that might target theie daughters. I haven't followed the Aruba case much, but what little I have gathered, she has also met with foul play.

[Brundle_Fly]

70. a few more....

Shaivo, Running Bride

[SouthernDem2004]

41. Yes, The boy is a republican plant by Bush and friends to distract

everyone from something. We all know that any other news report other then DSM is an attempt to distract the public.

Sad, this is a good story with a good ending for a change but here on DU there are already two negative unrelated posts on the topic. Wohoo go DU!

[jobycom]

39. Great news! nt.

[Gelliebeans]

40. that is great news n/t

[Career Prole]

43. Good deal. In other news, the missing boy's

president is a war criminal.

[buff2]

45. Oh,no........

ANOTHER story the media whores will be pounding for the next week or two. Damn....why do they have to do that? Tell the story a couple of times and then DROP IT!!!!! Hell,who wants to hear the same shit over and over and over and over again???? :grr:

[Dr Fate]

49. Is there anyway we can PAY this kid to talk about the DSM at interviews??

Just a thought!

[Melynn]

56. That's funny

Seriously, I'm glad the kid is alright. :)

[UCLA Dem]

57. Missing scout Brennan Hawkins, missing for four days has been found alive.

CNN--No link yet.

[Oreo]

58. Wonderful!

great news

[UCLA Dem]

69. Here's the link:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/06/21/missing.scout/index.html

[BlueStateGirl]

59. MSNBC confirming it. I am really happy for the family. It's great to see

it end this way.

[SW FL Dem]

64. Yes, it nice to have a happy ending every once in a while n/t

[tk2kewl]

60. Wow!

Cool.

[Call me Deacon Blues]

61. Hey, he's a Boy Scout!

What else did you expect! :) Very happy for the family.

[TeeYiYi]

79. Actually, he isn't a boy scout,. . . .

. . . he's the 11 year old friend of the little brother of one of the 14 year old scouts whose father was up there helping out with a rugged camping trip in the Uintas. He went missing Friday evening and they found him today at noon, over 5 miles away by a lake. He had climbed straight up and over a steep mountain, down past the lake and back up the other side to the next ridge. He had spent 4 nights and 4 days wandering alone, lost and frightened in the mountains with zero scouting skills. No food and no water, despite the lakes and streams. The guy who found him said he was soaking wet and delirious from dehydration.

There are numerous angles to this story that are newsworthy and the outcome is nothing short of a miracle. The negativity of some of the people in this thread makes me sad.

Like you, I am very happy for the family.

TYY

[AlCzervik]

62. Wow, good news!!!

[Miss Chybil]

63. Thank God, thank God, thank God...

and all the people who searched for him!

[leftofcool]

65. Praises to every God and Goddess eom

[Lars39]

66. I'm glad he was found.

Didn't sound like they took the buddy system seriously, though,
especially since he was still a Cub Scout.

[Justitia]

67. That's one helluva merit badge ya got there, son. Good news!

[Whoa_Nelly]

68. Here's an NBC affiliate link

http://www.nbc-2.com/articles/readarticle.asp?articleid=3659&z=3&p=

[bobgreenboston2]

87. Amazing

I'm sure everyone was so sure he was dead. It's awesome that they found him alive.

[Endangered Specie]

88. and I should care because...?

:shrug: alot more people go missing and found than just the ones reported on cnn.

[The_Casual_Observer]

89. What kind of a moron kid hides from rescuers?

There is something wrong with this kid. Apparently, he wasn't lost, he hid whenever anybody came by looking for him. The kid and his parents ought to be locked up.

[nomatrix]

90. Wired News Had

"The Hawkinses said Brennan didn't remember much and they don't plan push him to talk about his four days in the woods. "It's going to take a while to get everything out," Toby Hawkins said. "This is how he approaches all situations."

They described the boy as social immature, but not mentally disabled."

-snip-

"Part of the delay in finding Brennan was caused because he defied conventional wisdom: He went up hill instead of down.

Sheriff Dave Edmunds had said Brennan would have been more likely to head down a river valley from a 530-acre Boy Scout camp in the Uinta mountains. "Typically children walk downhill, along the least path of resistance," he said. "

Sounds like there is much more to this story.
Walked uphill? Parents, what kid willingly walks uphill?
He asked about his cards coming from Ebay, but doesn't remember going camping?

Picture in this link

http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2005/06/22/boy-found050622.html

[The_Casual_Observer]

91. Sounds to me like the kid was running away, not lost.

[roguevalley]

92. He looks fetal alcohol in his picture, wide spaced eyes, flat

dish shaped face and a wierd clenched teeth 'smile' that cries out mental to me. But then, what would I know?

RV, retired teacher of 27 years of kids his age

[kskiska]

97. I thought so, too

And the way he acted at the press conference. I have to wonder why his family would put him through that. His mother and sister exchanged glances when he refused to stand up and slunk down to the ground. He did the clenched teeth thing and made faces. Odd behavior for an 11-yr-old, especially when his siblings were so outgoing. They never mentioned him being autistic or having any other sort of problems. Strange that he would hide from the searchers on horseback.

[NNN0LHI]

93. Just happy they found the little boy scout OK n/t

[Jack Rabbit]

95. It is good news that the lad was found alive

Brennan's survival skills are to be commended.

That CNN is giving this story as much attention as they are is not so good news.

[David Zephyr]

96. Heartwarming. Happy ending.

I wish the media would focus on all of the children in this country now who are going to bed hungry every night, who don't have health insurance, who have possibly aquired autism from a satanic pharmaceutical, who receive crappy education from underfunded schools and underpaid teachers.

All the children.

I am very happy to see a happy ending in this one family's lives.