Madeleine's Dad Says Media 'Made Up' Stories (Please Place All Media Based Stories Here!)

Madeleine McCann's father has accused the media of making up stories once news of the investigation into her disappearance dried up.





McCann says the media was initially willing to help

Gerry McCann said his first instinct when Madeleine disappeared was to appeal for information so people would come forward.
"At that point we were desperate for information, and desperate for our daughter to be found," he told MPs on the Culture, Media and Sport committee.
"We were desperate, and that is why we spoke to the media, and did our appeals."
But, he said, once information about Madeleine became more scarce a number of ficticious stories began to surface and "it became a free-for-all.
"We saw pressure on journalists to produce stories, when there was not anything new to report."


Madeleine disappeared in 1997

"I would say there were fictitious stories which were not necessarily libellous or defamatory.
"Then clearly there was another turn when we were declared as arguidos, and then it was a free-for-fall.
"Our family have been the focus of some of the most sensationalist, untruthful, irresponsible and damaging reporting in the history of the press."
By 2008 stories were being published without any consideration of the McCann family's feelings or Madeleine's safety, he said.
Dr McCann said that early on, in Portugal, there had been "an order" to the media coverage.
"We agreed that we did not mind being filmed going about our normal activity but we weren't going to be engaging in stories on a day-to-day basis.
"That seemed to work quite well. Both sides seemed quite happy.
"What we envisaged was that demand would rapidly tail off, which it didn't. That took me by surprise."
However he said the most damaging part of the media coverage was the suggestion that there was evidence Madeleine was dead.

For a lot of the time we were not doing anything, it was the media feeding on itself.

Clarence Mitchell, McCann family spokesman

Dr McCann said he and his wife could not forgive that.
The McCann's spokesman Clarence Mitchell, who is also appearing in front of the committee, said journalists in Portugal were under immense pressure to deliver stories for their newsdesks.
"We had a pack of reporters in Praia da Luz looking for a front page and we had a pack in Leicestershire trying to talk to the family, to get an insight.
"All of them were competing on a daily basis to get their version of the story into the paper.
"Sometimes I would have reporters coming to me saying 'I have got to get a front page splash by 4pm or my job is on the line', if I said 'sorry we haven't got anything', they would say 'we are going to have to write it anyway'."
Mr Mitchell said they had had "anecdotal evidence" that certain newspapers were getting "massive sales" from the story.
"That is undoubtedly the reason why Madeleine McCann was on the front pages for as long as she was.

There has to be some degree of control, I believe, or deterrent to publishing particularly damaging stories, where they have the potential to ruin people's lives.

Gerry McCann

"For a lot of the time we were not doing anything, it was the media feeding on itself."
It was a "circle of lunacy", he added.
Dr McCann said the broadcast media had been "by and large, more responsible" than newspaper journalists but he said they had not been entirely happy with their coverage.
He said he and his wife had decided to take legal action against the Daily Express "as a last resort".
"There is a gap there in the legislation," he said.
"We could have sued all the newspaper groups,"he added, but in early 2008 it was the Express which began to rehash stories and headlines.
"With hindsight, we should have done this sooner. It changed the coverage dramatically."


Mitchell (left) accompanied Dr McCann

Mr Mitchell said that when the McCann's complaints were first received by the Express, the paper offered to "set the story straight" in an exclusive interview with OKMagazine which is also owned by Richard Desmond.
He said the McCanns had not gone to the Press Complaints Commission because the Commission itself would have advised them to use legislation to get compensation.
Echoing Max Mosley who gave evidence to the committee earlier, Dr McCann said: "I complained about stories that were involving invasion of privacy.
"There has to be some degree of control, I believe, or deterrent to publishing particularly damaging stories, where they have the potential to ruin people's lives."
Mr Mitchaell said he agreed with Madeleine's father.
"I will stand here and I will very much defend freedom of speech, but I think when people's lives are put in jeopardy, by different mechanisms, then that has to be addressed."
Dr McCann said that in today's "changing media landscape" self-regulation was something that the media needed to improve.
"I'm not sure personally whether self-regulation is keeping up with that technology and it is something they will need to address in coming months and years," he told MPs.

[/b]http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Politics/Madeleine-McCanns-Father-Gerry-Accuses-Media-Of-Making-Up-Stories-About-The-Investigation/Article/200903215238513

Let´s hope that from now one, the newspapers pays more attention about what they printed.

Mod just phoned me, and said he thought it was bennett sitting behind him? Surely to God they wouldn't have put the two of them so close together?

vee8 wrote:Mod just phoned me, and said he thought it was bennett sitting behind him? Surely to God they wouldn't have put the two of them so close together?

I was somewhat incredulous myself. But someone provided live internet link to the proceedings. And I'm afraid Mod is bang on right. It almost defies belief.

HB I have put a question to you under a private thread.

I am absolutely gobsmacked. Staggered beyond belief. Who the hell thought it would be a good idea to put bennett in the same room as Gerry? How he managed to control himself I cannot fathom, after what that slimeball has done to the whole family.

vee8 wrote:I am absolutely gobsmacked. Staggered beyond belief. Who the hell thought it would be a good idea to put bennett in the same room as Gerry? How he managed to control himself I cannot fathom, after what that slimeball has done to the whole family.

sorry.posted twice..........