Natalee Holloway Story: Many Just do not Get its Popularity, Including Aruba

For the longest time, many have scoffed at the fact that the Natalee Holloway disappearance story has managed to stay in the media spot light. Many have criticized it, yet still managed to report, post and do articles only to capitalize on the stories popularity. The fact is that people want to know what happened, they are intrigued and they have a personal bond with the story.

The Natalee Holloway story is a “Perfect Storm” of a confluence of issues that have captured the attention, hearts and minds of many. The missing American teenage girl who could be anyone’s daughter, sister or cousin with her entire life ahead of her, an international element occurring on a vacation island in the Caribbean that is deemed a safe, and the perceived cover up and preferential treatment of a local boy who has lied more times about the events of that fateful evening than one cares to analyze. That coupled with a continued investigation that has been marred with errors, a lack of proper searches and an attitude of no sense of urgency. Just like in the “Perfect Storm”, the Andrea Gail could not get out of the storms path and neither can Aruba with the Natalee Holloway story.

Many have thought that people eventually would lose interest and go away, including many wishful individuals in Aruba. Ask ABC’s Prime Time if the story is waning? The other night when they interviewed Joran Van der Sloot they received their largest audience and highest rating in three years . The broadcast averaged 12.4 million total viewers.

The broadcast averaged 12.4 million total viewers. The news magazine’s 4.4 rating in the 18-49 demo beat CBS’s 3.8…

Not only has the staying power of the Natalee Holloway story helped put pressure on Aruba to get to the bottom of the disappearance, it has also brought light on many other missing persons cases in the MSM. The media has understood that viewers are interested in missing persons cases and the media exposure putting out missing stories cases helps helps in the process. It can be a win-win, if none correctly.

The story is not going away unless it is solved and even then Natalee Holloway will have a legacy. This month Beth Twitty begins her “Stay Safe” program which kicks off at Natalee Holloway’s high school. It will reference her daughter missing in Aruba. In April Dave Holloway’s book, ‘Aruba : The Tragic Untold Story of Natalee Holloway and Corruption in Paradise’ will be released. At the end of May will be the one year anniversary of Natalee’s disappearance.

Going away? Viewers losing interest? Hardly. There is only one way that this story loses interest; justice and the prosecution of those responsible. The sooner the searches on tips and leads are done by the ALE. The sooner that Aruba prosecutes those responsible. The sooner this case will diminish.

However, the coverage of missing person cases by the media will never be the same.