Holiday girl Abducted

Do you really expect anything different from the British press?

koshkha wrote:

drewboy wrote:

This might sound a bit callous, but I simply cannot understand why it has gotten SO much coverage. I wouldn't say kids go missing all the time, but this is feeling like she is the only kid in the world.

I haven't seen hysteria like this since Diana died. To me, it's just got totally out of control. 2.5mn quid reward = indicator to folk that if you want to steal a kid, go for a Brit because the money's better.

And as for the 'fighting fund', I'm just disgusted by the idea that two very well off people, undoubtedly on compassionate leave on full pay from their very well paid jobs would accept money from the public.

OK, you can all tell me I'm heartless now but I just think it's getting silly.

What is this 'fighting fund' going towards? The reward for finding her or the cost for looking?

Why is it that whenever anything like this happens the publics reaction is just to throw money to 'fund' the cause? I just don't get how the public giving money helps.

Also how long do you think this such high profile search will continue and be in the news 24/7, because I too don't mean to sound heartless but this sort of thing does happen a lot and we never get to hear about it and also she has been gone little over 2 weeks now so I dont hold out much hope at all.

Young kids disappearing always gets to peoples hearts (like Soham did). If the continued press coverage of Madelaine had affected sales then they would have dropped it by now.

spoilt_little_brat wrote:

Also how long do you think this such high profile search will continue and be in the news 24/7, because I too don't mean to sound heartless but this sort of thing does happen a lot and we never get to hear about it and also she has been gone little over 2 weeks now so I dont hold out much hope at all.

I dont think it happens a lot..which is why when it does happen it causes such media frenzy, it was the same at Soham - coverage was almost 24/7 on some news channels

fair point, but I am still interested to see how long it will stay fixed in the news the way it is now.

It seems to me this story has evolved from being about madeleine to being more about the McCanns. It's McCanns this, McCanns that, Mcanns travelling here, McCanns going there, McCanns & Pope, McCanns TV invites, McCans McCanns McCanns McCanns aaaaarrggghhhh.

I feel extremely sorry for Madeleine and really really hope she's OK but her parents are starting to really do my head in now. Each day I go to Google news to see if there's any new developments in this case and each day i'm met with more and more McCann crap to wade through first.

It's all gone way over the top.

WTF meeting the Pope?

There's politicians getting in on the act and stealing a bit of the publicity for themselves. Prince Andrew stuck his nose in and got a few column inches. Celebrities, sportspeople, musicians, authors, businessmen, singers yadda yadda yadda...... I'm sure some of these people are being genuine in their support and concern but i'm even more sure that some are just in it for themselves (so to speak)


Before I get lynched let me make one thing clear. I fully support and have no problem with the huge campaign to find Madeleine. Poor girl needs to be found by whatever means possible. But there is such a thing as OTT.

Dunno God forbid if it was my kid I would pretty much want any sort of publicity that would keep it in the public eye, better that than it being forgotten, I guess the publicity could make it harder for the police to scale back their investigations.

The pressure has to be kept up, for closure...no one but no one can even imagine how the parents are feeling.

I do think some of the actions of the general public are well meaning but fruitless...(e.g. handing out leaflets at Glasgow football clubs just because the McCann family are from there), but equally, if she was my child I wouldnt want to think it was old news after a few weeks either. So media is inevitable, and while I dont think all the bandwagon-jumping will make one jot of difference, it is better in the public eye than out of it..as would have happened 20 years ago say, when we had far less media channels to deal with.

I agree that if it was my child I would want to do all that I could to get them found but I also agree that the parents at times are being seen as some sort of celeb and I dont see how them doing things like meet the pope is helping.

To be honest though some of the blame could be passed on to the police over there because they have nothing at all to go on and that is why all the parents can do is be seen on tv etc.

I dont think they are celebs...I dont think they want to be either..if they could turn the clock back 4 weeks, they can only want to remain anonymous and wish none of us knew their name. Media is *Bad Word* sometimes.

Yes I agree, but the way that the press are playing the 'story' is quickly turning some peoples opinions sour.

I know

and I am NO fan of the media frenzy that is UK Plc in general (and have no doubt said so many times.)

However, even as someone with no children, I can understand the media frenzy...and am not soured by it (I am soured by the lack of closure...because I dont want to think of the inevitable outcome)

However, the media is what it is...and I dont think it adds any value by bitching about their intentions either.

spoilt_little_brat wrote:

I agree that if it was my child I would want to do all that I could to get them found but I also agree that the parents at times are being seen as some sort of celeb and I dont see how them doing things like meet the pope is helping.

To be honest though some of the blame could be passed on to the police over there because they have nothing at all to go on and that is why all the parents can do is be seen on tv etc.

Why would you pass some of the blame on to the police? So far I have not seen any reason to criticise the Portuguese police.

By the fact 4 weeks ago they were seen doing naff all. They banned putting up posters of the missing child, they let people staying at the hotel go home without taking any details from them, they had nothing to go with at all and it was one mistake after another.

And it is because of the way they have acted that I believe the parents have had to do all the public running around to keep this so high profile and in the press.

I wasn't aware that they banned the putting up of posters.

I don't agree, however, that the parents have only acted as they have because of the failings of the police. I think any parent would be working to keep the case in the public eye, even in Britain where the police are regarded as being highly competent in such cases.

I would point out, however, that in Britain there have been many cases like this and they can go on for months before a body is found. In many of these cases there is very little to go on, just as their is with Maddy.

On the matter of the huge media interest I think it is just another facet of the way that news from around the globe can be transmitted and accessed instantly at any time of the day or night.

While many think that the level of coverage is excessive (myself too), I think there is also a big "market" for this kind of stuff; this is the stuff magazines like Chat love - their readers lap up true life stories about having a child conceived through rape, or losing a husband in a violent murder.

There was a quote in the Sun (I think it was) yesterday about the Mother saying a sad goodbye to the twins before going off to see the Pope. Her quote was that she'd "never left [her] twins before"! If that were true, they wouldn't be in the situation at all! I can't help but feel now that the parents are milking the public attention for all its worth at this point.

Quote :

Why would you pass some of the blame on to the police? So far I have not seen any reason to criticise the Portuguese police.

In the beginning of the investigation, the Portuguese police refused to let the British police use highly trained sniffer dogs. To me, thats at least one thing they've done wrong.

Yeah also I though of another gaff they made- they didnt do a sketch of the person they were looking for and when they did it looked like an egg with hair

I've not read any of this..!

The Portuguese Police, under Portuguese law, are not allowed to disclose details of their investigation the way the police are here. In fact, it is my understanding that they have disclosed a lot more than they normally would under international pressure.

Therefore, all of these 'facts' coming from the UK media about their investigation can only be described as hearsay at best.

UK media is a nightmare...we have too many tabloids...looking for a story and it gets in the way of the facts at times.

I certainly hope the Mccanns campaign bears fruit. I've felt all along this isn't the work of paedophiles but an abduction. I hope I'm right.

fizzywizzy wrote:

On the matter of the huge media interest I think it is just another facet of the way that news from around the globe can be transmitted and accessed instantly at any time of the day or night.

While many think that the level of coverage is excessive (myself too), I think there is also a big "market" for this kind of stuff; this is the stuff magazines like Chat love - their readers lap up true life stories about having a child conceived through rape, or losing a husband in a violent murder.

And to better illustrate my clumsily put point I read this interesting article in the Times today

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article1865968.ece

I think the media and the parents guilt are running the campaign now, not the Macanns. You have to feel for them but this is overkill, the more publicity the less likely the people are to hand the kid back or expose the child to vital witnesses.

I dont think it was ever on the cards that she would get handed back.

I think in any case like this that is in the public eye so much, it would be far too difficult to keep the child alive as you would stand getting caught.

Ther es been many cases when kids have turned up.You need to playon the captors guilt, not attention seeking the noteriorty the snatch obviously brings to the perps..The Macanns are on Crimewatch tonight?