Online Video Appeal for Child’s Return

Could online video help find missing children? Concerned citizens worldwide have are posting their own videos on sites like YouTube calling for the safe return of Madeleine McCann, like this video, which has garnered over 150,000 views on YouTube.

Young McCann went missing on May 3 while her family, originally from the U.K., were on holiday in Portuguese village Praia da Luz. Parents Kate and Gerry McCann are embarking on a tour across Europe and released camera phone videos to the media in the hopes the attention will spur leads to her whereabouts. They’ve also set up a web site and MySpace page set up to find her, with embeddable videos and appeals in multiple languages.

Since Madeleine has disappeared, two significant dates have gone by. First, Friday May 25 was International Missing Children’s day. More saddening still was Madeleine’s fourth birthday on May 12.

Intense media coverage for missing children is nothing new, but this case has taken on a new dimension thanks to online video. Millions of children worldwide are reported missing each year, and while the mainstream media can’t cover all the cases, this demonstrates how family and friends now have new venues where they can get the word out.