Recession Drives Surge in Youth Runaways. Most are boys, but of course the story focus on the girls. "The boys were also runaways. But unlike them, Betty said, she had been reported missing to the police."

reddeb · 2009-10-27T05:09:04+00:00

With 4 amazing sons already I have recently begun to research the idea of becoming a foster parent. Age & race is really unimportant to me, I really just want to be able to provide a good home & education to one more person. I had assumed Social Services would automatically want to place a boy as this is really a 'boy' home. This article actually gave me the desire to request a boy.

hatekillpuke · 2009-10-27T05:41:27+00:00

First may I say that this is an eye-opening story about a very sad and serious problem, and I thank you for drawing my attention to it. However, your misguided attempt to politicize this issue is downright shameful.

Of the ten individuals specifically mentioned in the piece, six were boys, and four were girls (It also mentions Clinton amongst a group of "older boys", but as it doesn't specify how many I was unable to add them to the total, but since detail other than them being in a group with Clinton is offered they really don't have as much a part in the piece as the ones I have counted). The piece makes no mention as to whether this is a representative sampling of a gender split amongst runaways, it simply presents personal details to emotionally back the facts and figures about youth runaways.

The boys were also runaways. But unlike them, Betty said, she had been reported missing to the police. That meant that if the boys let her stay overnight in their hidden tent encampment by the freeway, they risked being arrested for harboring a fugitive.

The piece specifically mentions a very recent runaway as a window into a world that readers may be unfamiliar with, the one named girl, Betty. It is mentioned that Betty had been reported as missing because of the problems it could potentially cause for the other runaways who have formed a community (of which I would imagine there are both boys and girls, but indeed we are left to image as to what ratio as the piece did not specify). In no reasonable way can this straight reporting of fact, that this particular girl had been reported missing by her family, be seen as giving focus to one girls over boys. It is a detail pertaining to one individual story, a story that happens to belong to a girl. If you read sexism into that, that is your own issue, and not that of the New York Times.

Your choice of headline says more about your own biases than anything.

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