NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The new Lifetime movie “Black Girl Missing” draws attention to the documented disparity in news coverage for missing Black women and girls while shining a light on real-life cases, including missing Newport News mother and daughter Keir and Chloe Johnson.

“When my sister first went missing, I would contact radio stations, and it’s like you just get pushed to the side,” said Teir Pettway, the twin sister of Keir Johnson, who recalled facing uphill battles when she tried to expand news coverage of her sister and niece’s disappearance beyond Hampton Roads. “[They said] ‘We care. We support.’ But do we really support?”

The movie, which stars Garcelle Beauvais as a mother forced to take matters into her own hands to find her daughter after police and reporters don’t rise to meet her cries for help, exposes the frustrating experiences many Black families have faced to get mainstream media coverage of their missing loved ones. The movie also calls attention to missing white women and girls who have traditionally received more national news coverage.

Read more here> This story is written and reported by our media partner WTKR.

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