A new Crime Editorial

http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/anything-you-say/2009/02/who-was-listening-to-kate-and.html

Take a look at this.

I have no problem with the author. He made a request via foi of the Leic police and got a rather strange reply, being that information on any surveilance couldnt be released due to national security.

He is puzzled as to why and also as to why the LP insist that their refusal to supply info doesnt mean there is or there isnt information in regards to the request.

All quite legitimate, and he can wonder all he wants. I also dont think he is implying anything is wrong, or that there is a cover up. He just wonders why national security is invoked for a missing children's case, but he should know that the Organised Crime Unit comes under national security. Not much of a crime write really.

But like i said I dont have much of a problem with what he wrote. And since it is a new opinion page, I suspect he put the McCanns on as his first topic to get an audience. So transparent.

But I doubt that he expected to get so many comments accusing the McCanns of being criminals, guilty of all sorts of the usual murder, fraud etc, that they are glad he is investigating the fund, etc etc. He most likely thought that the comments would be about his FOI request, as generally comments follow on from the original post/article.

The poor bloke never mentioned anything else, only that he made an FOI in regards to surveillance on the McCanns and it was refused on national security grounds. But now these f/wits have decided he is going to ride in and somehow bring the McCanns to justice, once they all decide on what the crime actually is.

Even Viv posted on there. So you can guess at what is one there. Take a look at the link and the posts.

I see the usuall suspects are rearing their poisonous heads, but there are also some of the good guys on there, making sure they don't have it all their own way.

All comments have now been deleted.
Doubt the new crime editor will be their new hero now

That was just to be expected. As soon as the 3A crowd jumps in any crime reporter worth his salt would retreat. The implication of any journalist being associated with that lot would be loss of credibility.

I am glad that the comments were deleted.

I also want to restate that I didnt think that the original post was anti McCann, it was simply saying that the national security excuse was a bit strange. The author never said or even implied that the McCanns were guilty of anything, or that they were even under surveilance.

I bet he was astounded at the responses, thanking him for investigating this 'guilty' couple and the clearly fraudulent fund, when he never mentioned anything of the sort.

But lets be cynical for a moment. It is part of the Mirror isnt it, and they had to remove their comments from all Madeleine related articles, so they knew what would happen. I believe that the first post on this new editorial was designed to attract an audience, that is why it was about the McCanns. And it in now way implied any guilt of anything on the part of the McCanns. I wonder if the comments were what they expected, or whether even the Mirror was surprised at the viciousness and unreasonableness of the comments.