This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

WASHINGTON - Elizabeth Smart says she accepted a job with ABC News partly because she feels the media helped save her life.

The Utah woman, who was kidnapped, raped and held captive at age 14 by a Salt Lake City street preacher, serves as a commentator for ABC News focusing on missing persons and child abduction cases.

The 23-year-old Smart told the Washington, D.C., newspaper The Hill on Wednesday that the media play a key role in missing persons cases. She says she might not have been rescued without the media spotlight.

Smart was in Washington to urge lawmakers to reinstate funding for the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.