From WNYKR's in New York, this is NPR's On the Media.

I'm Brooke Gladstone.

And I'm Bob Garfield.

This week, Time Magazine and People Weekly featured big stories on a missing person.

Newsweek did it last week, and the cable news shows and the tabloids are doing it all the time.

The case of missing Washington intern Shandra Levy

inevitably reminds us of the biggest cable news story of the last decade, Monica Lewinsky.

Both cases involve an intern and an elected official

who uses evasive language to describe the relationship.

But Levy's case also brings to mind another huge tabloid story, John B'nai Ramsey.

And playing the role originated by the Ramsey parents is California Congressman Gary Condit,

self-described good friend of the missing 24-year-old.

Meanwhile, police would like to hear more details from Representative Gary Condit.

Investigators plan to interview

the congressman tonight to clear up certain facts he did not share with them in his first

interview regarding Chandra's disappearance. For instance, police learned from the media that

Condit's wife had been in Washington, D.C. during that crucial period when Chandra disappeared.

It's good that police are learning anything from the media,

because the media have a hard time learning many lessons on their own.

No matter how much criticism cable news gets for turning stories like O.J. and Jean Bonnet

into freak shows, it inevitably goes into full carnival barker mode at every opportunity.

Cable news is demanding, not of its viewers, but of its subjects.

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