America was captivated nearly a decade ago when Elizabeth Smart, then just 14, was kidnapped from her Salt Lake City bedroom. She was found nine months later about 20 miles away, and the man and woman who abducted her were eventually convicted. Now, The Daily Beast reports that Smart, who is 23, will join ABC News, appearing on Good Morning America and other network programs sporadically to discuss and analyze missing persons cases. It's a familiar trajectory: Nancy Grace and John Walsh (of America's Most Wanted) have famously parlayed personal tragedies into successful television careers. But is Smart's hire over the line? (Watch a report about Smart's new gig.)
Yes. She's being exploited for ratings: It's easy to understand why ABC would be looking for a way to cover missing persons cases, says Mary Elizabeth Williams at Salon. As the Casey Anthony trial proved, our "national obsession" with missing children makes the coverage a "surefire ratings grabber." But it's "hard to not smell a heavy whiff of exploitation" here. Turning Smart into the "go-to-girl" for horrible stories about children takes advantage of her backstory for the purpose of "parental fearmongering."
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