Reading the NYT story, it's clear that the young woman was in fact abused and kept captive. What she's recanting are embellishments she apparently made to the story, in particular the implication that it was a racist thing.

Furthermore, this story recieved little to no national attention, to my distinct memory. Certainly nothing like the (white) runaway bride or the white blonde girl who disappeared in the Bahamas or the white blonde girl who was held captive for years and is now on the cover of People or any number of other stories involving young white and usually blonde women.

And I sure don't remember any kitten stories. Kittens don't hold a candle in the media to young white blonde women.

What amazes me is that the Balloon people -- who craved publicty -- got one day's worth out of the balloon stunt and now are getting two more weeks of publicity as people analyze the hoax and get all pumped out about punishment. I'm sure other publicity hogs like Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Sarah Pallin are jelous of the Balloon people's continuing ability to command the media.

Those are my sentiments exactly nerdnam. The so called hierarchy conveniently leaves out that white trumps everything. I remember during the runaway bride story their was a black woman in Chicago who was kidnapped just days before her wedding. The Duke scandal was one of the few times when a black "victim" was able to get press coverage but lets be honest, thats only because she accused 4 white men. Frankly, I can't even think of any mainstream stories regarding hispanics or native americans. It's almost as if nothing happens to them.

Maybe if those people died their hair blonde and were kidnapped and were then found alive on live television, emerging from the trunk of a beat up Honda with a basket full of butterscotch colored kittens, they would make the news. I'm holding out hope that they would.

Nothing happens to working class people of any color. Everybody below a swell income has more or less disappeared from the news media. Nobody speaks up for them, talks about them, mentions them or photographs them.

Almost all stories about blacks, even 'sympathetic' ones, are about blacks making trouble. And I'm not sure at all that Obama is an exception.

Peace: Butterscotch kittens? LMAO! LMAO! Thanks for the laugh.

Nerdnam: Thank you for articulating my thoughts. When I got to the part about how the media jumped on that black woman's story, my right ear twitched. That usually happens when I'm being fed bullshit. The one exception to your observations is, of course, Chandra Levy. I believe she was a brunette. Everything else was on point.

I automatically feel sorry for the Blondes of Fox TV! <link>

I guess none of the commenters here remember Tawana Brawley. But don't let that stop you!

So what you are saying, Saru, is that one hoax carried out over 20 years ago is reason enough to ignore minorities who go missing? Is that your point?