The Media’s Role in Missing Children’s Cases

Michael Brodkorb, a political reporter and blogger for the Star Tribune writes about the media’s role in missing children’s cases. He raises some brutally honest and compelling issues reporters face in missing children’s cases. This is a must read for any reporter reporting on protective parent stories.

Brodkorb provides some insight into some of the extremists views of the protective parent movement such as his disclosure that he has “received multiple threats against [his] personal safety as direct result of reporting on this case”.

First of all, these threats are part of the protective parent movment that the Domestic Violence Community never acknowledges. There is no possible justification for threatening a reporter in the local Minnesota Community who is covering a story to find missing children. These threats should be investigated by law enforcement as this reporter and his family have a right to feel safe in their community.

Mr. Brodkorb also raises the issue of Fox 9 interview of the minor children. Brodkorb says: “The fact that Fox 9 interviewed Samantha and Gianna while they were missing needs to be explored and openly discussed.” We have seen this in other protective mom stories. We have always believed that if the media did not get involved in some of these cases, the crime may not have been comitted. The media should not have participated in the kidnapping and should have tipped off law enforcement so the teenagers could have been taken into custody before their interview.

In this eara of spoon-fed journalism,  Mr. Brodkorb also questioned the tenets of the Sandra Rucki, the protective mom as well as her attorney, Michelle MacDonald. Here is what he reports:

“I had several more phone conversations with MacDonald over the next two days. During one of these early exchanges, I noticed she kept responding to my questions by listing her grievances with the family court system. I asked her to focus for just a few moments on where the missing kids might be living.”

Mr. Brodkorb is also one of the first to report about Sandra Rucki’s former spouse. He talks about his first meeting with this Searching Parent. He starts to describe some of the emotions this father went through in his search for his daughters.

 

Finally, he describes his role of reporting this case with his fellow reporter Brandon Stahl and the Star Tribune.

Here is a link to the story:

Blog: Michael Bordkorb: Why I wrote about the Rucki Case (Star Tribune, 12-2-15)

Thanks Michael Brodkorb for writing this story.

Breaking:Prosecutors Say Sandra Rucki Left Her Daughters At The Ranch

The Star Tribune is reporting that prosecutors have accused Sandra Rucki with “particular cruelty” for her role in hiding the girls from the father. Dakota County has notified Sandra Rucki and her attorney of their intent to seek an “aggravated sentence” against her. In the amended complaint, prosecutors say Sandra Rucki and another person dropped the girls off at the White Horse Ranch in Herman, Minnesota.

Sandra Rucki is now facing six felony charges of Felony Child Deprivation.

[Read more]

Sources:

Charge: Mother of Runaway Lakeville girls left them at the ranch by Brandon Stahl (Star Tribune 11-23-2015)

Michael Brodkorb Twitter Account (11-23-2015)

Breaking: Statement from Rucki Family

Here’s a statement from the Rucki Family:

Source: @Mbrodkorb Twitter Post

The Rucki Family thanked the Lakeville Police Department, US Marshalls Service and the Grant County Sheriff’s Department, the Jacob Wetterling Foundation and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. They also thanked Star Tribune Reporters Michael Brodkorb and Brandon Stahl