"Found safe and well"

[Blown2CV]

Anyone else think it's a weird turn of phrase to say a missing person was "Found safe and well"? Stories often give no further details, as if they just got a bit lost by accident, and were very happy to be tracked down. Is this journalism code for something else?

[rpguk]

Well there is almost certainly a reason why the person went missing themselves. Family problems, mental health problems etc. Private reasons.

I take it as a stock phrase meaning 'they went of their own accord and we have now located them'

[Blown2CV]

rpguk said:

Well there is almost certainly a reason why the person went missing themselves. Family problems, mental health problems etc. Private reasons.

I take it as a stock phrase meaning 'they went of their own accord and we have now located them'

The stories never say why they went missing. Maybe it would be an invasion of privacy but there's never any 'closure'. I just think it's weird. If they were suffering from mental health problems it's a bit much to describe them as "well".

[dudleybloke]

+

?

[Jim the Sunderer]

They're hardly going to say she's had a prolonged sexual assault, are they?

[Rawwr]

Found in a safe, down a well?

[WinstonWolf]

Blown2CV said:

rpguk said:

Well there is almost certainly a reason why the person went missing themselves. Family problems, mental health problems etc. Private reasons.

I take it as a stock phrase meaning 'they went of their own accord and we have now located them'

The stories never say why they went missing. Maybe it would be an invasion of privacy but there's never any 'closure'. I just think it's weird. If they were suffering from mental health problems it's a bit much to describe them as "well".

Generally if someone goes missing it would be unhelpful at best to explain the whys and wherefores behind it.

The *story* is generally an appeal for sightings of them.

[rpguk]

Because beyond the basic facts it's ultimately none of your business if no crime has occurred

I do kind of get your point if only from my own nosy position. If you have a read through those 'love it' magazines (the thin glossy 60p ones with 'my husband was a killer' kind of headlines) you do often get the story behind the story.

[wack]

Blown2CV said:

Is this journalism code for something else?

Don't know about found safe and well but when I see "suddenly "in an obituary I look at it with different eyes since a mate killed himself and that's what they wrote

[mph1977]

Blown2CV said:

<snip>. Is this journalism code for something else?

much like 'confirmed bachelor ' you mean ?

[Blown2CV]

I've heard that "short illness" and "long illness" are journo code for e.g. Heart attack and cancer respectively.

Anyway back to topic, if someone was subject to a prolonged sexual attack surely describing them as "well" is a bit odd there too!

[R8Steve]

With the amount of appeals for missing people i see popping up on my newsfeed on facebook i sometimes wonder if -

a) so many people went missing before facebook as i never seemed to hear of many, if any, before.

b) how you looked for a missing person pre facebook.

It just seems to be people are a bit trigger happy with the missing person posts due to the ease of it now. If my parents put up a post saying i was missing after a night out in my younger days they would be posting it pretty much every week.

I know what you mean by the closure though, you never find out that they were actually just on a two day drug fuelled bender with some guy they had just met, just that they have been found safe and well

[Jimmy Recard]

mph1977 said:

Blown2CV said:

<snip>. Is this journalism code for something else?

much like 'confirmed bachelor ' you mean ?

Meaning "unconfirmed homosexual"?

That's what I've always assumed it means

[soad]

Jimmy Recard said:

mph1977 said:

Blown2CV said:

<snip>. Is this journalism code for something else?

much like 'confirmed bachelor ' you mean ?

Meaning "unconfirmed homosexual"?

That's what I've always assumed it means

Polite euphemism for a gay man (from Victorian times, on the premise that such a man will never marry).

[Blown2CV]

Does found safe and well just been they were in the pub?

[rpguk]

R8Steve said:

With the amount of appeals for missing people i see popping up on my newsfeed on facebook i sometimes wonder if -

a) so many people went missing before facebook as i never seemed to hear of many, if any, before.

b) how you looked for a missing person pre facebook.

Some interesting stats [url=https://www.missingpeople.org.uk/downloads.raw?task=callelement&item_id=5436&element=dfbb2d4b-e3af-40bc-a511-b0d819792af1&method=download]here (PDF from missingpeople.org.uk)

Around 250,000 people reported missing every year in the UK
91% resolved within 48 hours
99% resolved within 1 year

If my facebook feed is anything to go by the missing people shares are usually many times removed from the well meaning person sharing, even a different continent.

[toastybase]

Thought it just means that no harm came to them.

I always assumed most people that go missing don't want to be found.

[Blakewater]

R8Steve said:

With the amount of appeals for missing people i see popping up on my newsfeed on facebook i sometimes wonder if -

a) so many people went missing before facebook as i never seemed to hear of many, if any, before.

b) how you looked for a missing person pre facebook.

It just seems to be people are a bit trigger happy with the missing person posts due to the ease of it now. If my parents put up a post saying i was missing after a night out in my younger days they would be posting it pretty much every week.

I know what you mean by the closure though, you never find out that they were actually just on a two day drug fuelled bender with some guy they had just met, just that they have been found safe and well

You have to be careful with the appeals for missing persons you see on social media if they don't definitely come directly from the police. People use such appeals to find children and partners they're no longer allowed to see because they've been abusive to them and even to find people on witness protection programmes. Well meaning social media users saying where people are can put those people in danger.

[toastybase]

Blakewater said:

R8Steve said:

With the amount of appeals for missing people i see popping up on my newsfeed on facebook i sometimes wonder if -

a) so many people went missing before facebook as i never seemed to hear of many, if any, before.

b) how you looked for a missing person pre facebook.

It just seems to be people are a bit trigger happy with the missing person posts due to the ease of it now. If my parents put up a post saying i was missing after a night out in my younger days they would be posting it pretty much every week.

I know what you mean by the closure though, you never find out that they were actually just on a two day drug fuelled bender with some guy they had just met, just that they have been found safe and well

You have to be careful with the appeals for missing persons you see on social media if they don't definitely come directly from the police. People use such appeals to find children and partners they're no longer allowed to see because they've been abusive to them and even to find people on witness protection programmes. Well meaning social media users saying where people are can put those people in danger.

Crickey. That makes sense but would have not thought of that. What an odd world we live in.

[wildcat45]

In the past few years police press offices I deal with have gone OTT on missing appeals often retracting them after an hour or two. Not sure if it is some sort of reaction to big cases like that of missing York woman Claudia Lawrence.

The police to have to a certain extent shot themselves in the food over this as many newsrooms now don't cover missing persons appeals unless they are serious. By serious I mean a child, or vulnerable adult like an old person with dementia. Other cases are looked at on their merit and if they are unusual or otherwise news worthy they may make it into the news. For example a missing overseas student will probably get more coverage than a missing 21 year old chav.

I'm not saying that is fair. It is on many occasions the case.

You also find judgements being made by the picture the police supply with the press release. A happy snap or a sullen grey background mug shot from police files.

The other ones that get ignored include the regulars. You get to know the names.

The fact is the middle class mum who goes missing on Boxing Day will get the publicity. Years ago a police force I know gave the local press - and by default the local public - a rebuke for lack of coverage and information on a missing and later found dead young woman. She was a drug user and prostitute and there just wasn't much interest in the media or from the public. A pretty sad state of affairs in all respects.

Lots of code in police press releases too. 'Out of character to go missing' tells you it's probably serious. 'Not been missing for this length of time before' tells you something maybe that they do this a lot. Other negative clues - if you know the area which local journos should - include 'Known to frequent xxx part of the city'.

Then there is the journalistic code - which to a certain extent the police use whether consciously or subconsciously.

Colourful local character - Drunk or perhaps gay. Maybe both!

Unconventional lifestyle - drunk, drugs drifter.

A wide circle of friends - prozzie.

Well known in the (insert red light/dodgy area) of the city.

I've always thought 'pillar of the local community' means they did whatever it is they are alleged to have done.

''A number of business interests......' PH member. :-)

There are loads more.