Done, done, done with writers that beat up on the families of the missing..........

[Maureen Reintjes-Peace4 Admin]

My Yahoo alert set for "missing child" brought this up today from site called news.gather.com undoubtedly another site where anyone who signs up can write for them.

 

So I click on the alert and it brings me to this horrid article: "Where Is Lisa Irwin? Vigil Held but No Sign of Missing Child" written on February 20, 2012 10:45 AM EST by Chelsea Hoffman who it states has been a member on this site since January 18, 2011 

http://news.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474981128807

So this is the comment I'm going to leave over on that site:

This writer obviously has never had anyone missing.  She brings up that a vigil was held for Baby Lisa Irwin (missing from Kansas City, MO) and states the following when talking about baby Lisa's parents:  "Were either of they present at this prayer vigil, or have they been merrily moving on with their lives?"

The author doesn't bring up that these vigils are organized by a self proclaimed untrained advocate who once stood in the Irwin's yard and waled over baby Lisa and screamed and yelled at baby Lisa's grandfather (all caught on news tape).  She is no longer allowed to hold the vigils on the Irwin's property.  Smart move on the Irwin's part I wouldn't want that group within miles of my family.  And, why would anyone expect baby Lisa's parents to show up at a vigil that they never gave their permission to be held in the first place? This same person puts together unprofessional searches for baby Lisa which appear to be prompted by psychic tips. How wrong is that to put novice searchers in possible harm's way and there is not even a legitimate tip?  

Even if baby Lisa's parents had given permission for anyone to hold a vigil or a search if they were to show up it would cause a media circus. What good would that do the case?  All it would do is give the public and media something to gossip about.  This bizarre sense of entitlement everyone has for cases like this is very disturbing.  Media and public get a clue!  These are not your loved ones that are missing and you are not entitled to every aspect of the case.  And, yes the families have to turn to the media and the public to get the word out but that does not mean the media and the public are entitled to rip the families apart.  Media, public, writers remember this could easily happen to one of your loved ones .... do all you can to help the current families of the missing in a positive way because your turn may come.

But the kicker for this article for me is when this author asks "...or have they been merrily moving on with their lives?"  "Merrily moving on with their lives..."   Guess what "author" yes the families do go on with their lives....shocker huh?  They have to go on with their lives because if they let the nightmare, the hell engulf them they will never ever be able to effectively search for their missing loved one.  They have to balance hell and earth so they can function for their other loved ones.  The families have to learn to allow themselves to laugh and find joy, shocker huh?...they laugh and live.  Life is never the same again when you have or have had a loved one missing.  But, yes at times it can be merry but there isn't a second that goes by that your missing loved one isn't on your mind...not a second.

I have no idea who is guilty and who is not guilty as to the cause of what happened to any of our 100,000 missing cases in the US let alone what happened to baby Lisa.  That is why it is called the " hell of not knowing."  If anyone thinks they know what happened to any of our missing who are missing without a trace then they wouldn't be missing now would they? Until a judge and jury find someone guilty as to causing the disappearance or murder of a missing person I stand solidly behind the families, thus is why I'm an advocate for the families of the missing.

[Cheryl Geisen]

WOW!  read the article and comments, the writer seems to be the one for self promotion, and a bit defensive ... it is good that other readers see through it.

[Maureen Reintjes-Peace4 Admin]

I'm sure that was just a diversion tactic so people wouldn't read my words correctly.....at least I hope so because if not then I was just dealing with a very unstable person.  I made two attempts to enter into a professional dialog but it was not to be. 

[Cheryl Geisen]

What got me was she even admitted to not reading the other articles on the case completely before creating her "synopsis".

[maureen sanchez]

she is a piece of work. I wonder why she can't see that she could use her words to help instead of just bandstanding? Unfortunate.

[Karen Sue Stratton]

Maureen,

I totally agree with your thoughts and article written by Chelsea Hoffman. I was told once when a certian media reporter came to my house to do a article on Jody. I specified like I always have done what the two year gap was and how it came about. After the report was done on television another reporter made it clear that Jody was not reported missing until two years later without the right and truth it should of been. It killed me. I made sure that was understood what happen., the television station said it was a editorial remark and they could do what they want.

What they want was sensationalism which was unprofessional and that person will never make it NBC Nightly News. At the risk of putting attention toward them instead of the truth of the matter, the report this woman put out was not facts, but a remark so she can make herself known (meaning money) at the fate of a innocent child. This is what I called a double vicitm, Baby Lisa has not only met some sort of fate but here is a "journalist?" who used some woman who clearly needs treatment for behavior on someone's child trying to make herself a "advocate" sort of reminding me of many other cases that hit the media. If that is what it takes to be a journalist who wants to edit material without facts then give it to those gossip magazines because that is all she is a gossip.

This is why websites such as Peace4theMissing and many others who fights for the truth, the fact, support the victim and their families. If at anytime that newspaper needs a good journalist give them your resume' because you deserve the job much more than the kindergarten group who just posted that article.

 

[Maureen Reintjes-Peace4 Admin]

I'm sorry you went through that Karen.  I'm sorry any family of the missing has to put up with additional hell caused by people that don't have an ounce of compassion.  

[Karen Sue Stratton]

I signed in to gather and I will post on victims and families sometime this evening or tomorrow. I read more of her articles and I agree totally. What happen to facts when individuals go to college to learn journalism? I agree with Cheryl and she is correct that "it is good that other readers see through it."

 

[Kool Breeze]

This brings to mind a Mark Twain quote..  Sadly, it is what I think of journalist & media in general these days

 

“Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.” ~ Mark Twain

[Kool Breeze]

BTW did ya notice there are 10 comments, (17 deleted comment by Chelsea Hoffman) she seems to do a pretty good job at making a fool of herself, without anyone else pointing it out!

I read a couple of the other ones she wrote too, that lil'devil on my left shoulder was so tempted to make an account just to point out to the 'self proclaimed' crime writer the difference between slander & libel (evil grin) but it hardly seems a challenge anyway.

Thanx for speaking up in the name of missing families Maureen!!

[Maureen Reintjes-Peace4 Admin]

My speaking up didn't do much good as she deleted anything I posted or that any of the families of the missing posted.  Evil is a good word for those shenanigans.

[Karen Sue Stratton]

What groups does Chelsea Hoffman belong to besides being a author or whatever? Plus, can one member like her delete your messages like that? That is terrble.

I posted something on the gather. I put it under missing persons.

Post whatever you want on mind and we can start our own group.