Some student leaders and faculty at Penn State believe the dominance of white, upper and middle-class kidnapping or murder victims in the media has taken away much-needed attention from minority victims such as Cindy Song.

Because Laci Peterson, Elizabeth Smart and now Dru Sjodin are members of the American racial, ethnic and economic majority, these victims are more haunting to the public eye, said Tiffanie Lewis, president of Black Caucus.

"We want to hear things about the dominant culture," Lewis said. "I think that if you can identify with the victim, you are more interested."

Sjodin, a 22-year-old college student from Grand Forks, N. D., disappeared Nov. 22.

Although investigators said this week that they believe her to be dead, her family and much of the nation still hope for her eventual recovery.

Penn State student Cindy Song, of South Korean descent, has been missing since Nov. 1, 2001.

While her disappearance garnered strong attention locally, the case received much less national media attention than the Sjodin, Peterson and Smart cases.

Those three victims have a lot in common, John Kramer, a professor of sociology and crime, law and justice, said. All three were white, well-to-do and good-looking. All three spoke English.

Sara Ryan, co-president of Allies, also believes the media focuses on a certain caste of victims.

"It's easy," she said, "for the American people to look at Laci Peterson and understand where she is coming from -- we feel like we can empathize."

Peterson disappeared from her California home last Christmas Eve. She and her unborn son were later found dead in the East Bay.

Smart, 15, returned to her family in Salt Lake City in March, months after being taken from her bedroom in the middle of the night.

Kramer said the media capitalizes on public empathy in order to sell more newspapers and capture more viewers.

"As an entertainer, [the media] wants readership," he said.

White people, he added, simply have "the stronger pocketbook."

Media inequality is harmful because minority victims do not receive the attention they need to seek justice or relief, he said.

Kramer believes Song's disappearance may have received less publicity because her parents do not speak English.

A coalition of 20 to 40 students was formed last year to help with the Song investigation.

"Every flier you see in a store or building is result of the coalition," said the group's leader, David Davis.

"I think the media -- and I'm talking mostly about the national media -- at times is lazy and I think this time it took a little more effort because the parents didn't speak English," he said. "In this case it took a little more effort than the media was willing to give."

Kramer said he has never seen any appearances by Song's mother in the media.

"The language barrier probably does make a difference," he said.

However, he said he doesn't think minority or language issues made any difference in law enforcement's handling of the case.