Madeleine McCann: Introducing Amelie And The Maddie Catty
WITH Madeleine McCann missing – still missing – the papers discover a new angle of investigation: her sister.
“MADDIE COME HOME,” says the Sun’s headline. “Tot hugs Maddie’s cuddle cat.” And there is Amelie McCann holding on to her sister’s comforter.
What purpose this serves, Anorak is unsure. We have tired of looking at the faces of Madeleine McCann’s parents but are we so desperate for a new face in the narrative that we need Amelie? No new suspect. No arrests. No sign of Madeleine. So here’s Amelie. She can keep the story alive, justify its place on the front pages?
While readers wonder why it’s newsworthy to publish a picture of Madeleine McCann’s little sister, while the faces of media shy David Beckham and his tick-like wife’s children are pixelated to preserve their privacy, the Mirror spots Amalie.
More Amelie on the Mirror’s front page. “A cuddle from her little sis,” reads the headline above the shot of Amelia hugging Madeleine’s toy. And on the Express’s front page, more Amelie. And on the Mail’s.
Is this a cynical manipulation of the news? It tugs the heart strings. It cannot fail to. But for what ends? To make us feel more a part of a story turned into public spectacle? Can it be too long before the Mirror is offering readers a chance to buy the “Maddie Cattie”, replica cuddle cloths, with a percentage of profits going to establish a fighting fund?
“Little Amelie McCann clutches her big sister Madeleine’s favourite “Cuddle Cat” soft toy yesterday — and wishes the missing tot was back with her,” says the Sun’s reporter in Praia da Luz.
Touching stuff. Or just creepy…
Posted: 19th, May 2007 | In: Tabloids Comments (70) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
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May 20th, 2007 at 4:36 pm
Grossly disturbing and shows how irresponsibly these remaining children are being brought up - part of the new celeb sensation - Team McCann - the new Jade Goody’s coming to an OK mag near you soon - The McCann’s new home, the McCanns first Christmas without Maddie, The McCanns dine out - see our center page spread of them eating Tapas by their new pool
Lastly - The McCanns buy safe for ‘fighting fund’
May 20th, 2007 at 4:31 pm
the real victims in all this are the Hotel complex owners; their bookings will fall dramatically once the Mccanns have come back to Britain. After all, who is going to want to stay in a potentially pedo ridden resort. If you ask me the Mccanns should be made to financially compensate the hotel shareholders, as the whole incident was due to their drunken stupidity and selfishness.
May 20th, 2007 at 2:26 pm
I think that maddies face should be on the front of every paper from now till she is found regardless of any other situation or story. anyone who says they are sick of looking at her face is heartless. this poor little 4yr old has to be found, not only to bring comfort to her family, but also to renew my faith in this world as i believe this world today is a horrible place to live
May 20th, 2007 at 1:36 pm
Press are using the McCann family, but then again the family are using the media (which I would probably do in their position. However - I would not have left my children alone as they did.)
This is gutter press at it’s best/worst. They are playing on people’s emotions to sell papers. The newspapers do not cre about this child and will drop it as soon as the next story comes along.
May 20th, 2007 at 11:57 am
and where will the McCanns be when the press move on to their next prey…….let us pray they will not feel any extra pain from the papers gain. Neither money nor celebrity can cure this ill……
peace & good will
Billy
May 20th, 2007 at 11:24 am
what is also clear is that this sick celebrity status and press intrusion may be hampering the police and authorities from getting to the truth.
May 20th, 2007 at 11:11 am
I may be wrong about the McCanns….but from pics today…it looks like they may be quite liking being in the limelight and a kind of sick celebrity status. the power of the press in polluting peoples emotions & minds shows no bounds. Seems like most people like the blood hounds. just goes to show…you never do know. has life become one big reality T.V. show?
I feel sick….again.
Peace & Light
Billy
May 20th, 2007 at 9:50 am
I may have news on Robert Murat later…
May 20th, 2007 at 9:03 am
The Mccanns should have checked the guest list in the complex: The apartment next door had been booked out by Pete Townsend, Jonathan King and Gary Glitter. Say no more…..
May 20th, 2007 at 8:56 am
Its the Murats that we should be thinking of at this very difficult time for them. Why are they being hounded? they are just trying to get on with their simple lives. How dare the media keep printing their names as if they are guilty of a crime. A fund should be set up for the Murats in the same way as the mccanns. I have not heard of any apology to the Murats from the Mccanns, they should think about someone else for a change!
May 20th, 2007 at 8:41 am
We are all hoping Maddie will be found safe and well. But what about the parents? Surely they should be held to account for their child neglect. Did they leave their holiday money lying around the apartment while they were out on the razz? - No, of course not, because they did not want it to be stolen! Their child obviously comes a poor third place, after galavanting and money. It is clear where the McCanns priorities lay. It makes you ashamed to be British.
May 20th, 2007 at 7:47 am
Hi,
I run a website to help the search for Madeleine and i do hear from people who to put it one way “don’t care” about this case and compain to see it in the media 24/7 however that in my opinion is the whole idea of the campaign to seach for Madeleine… let’s face it the papers will sell with or without this story so why the hell not sell them to help the search. Madeleine could be anywhere and the media does play a big part to try and reach “outside”.
As has been said here before.. it’s better to have this story in the papers than a story about some crap celeb!!
At the end of the day it’s up to you if you buy a paper or not… the story is covered in detail online and on TV so the papers only make money from those who buy them.. and it’s your choice.
Papers are not using this case to sell papers as it is the family who are trying to stay in the media and stay at the top of the media agenda!
Let’s all hope Madeleine is found safe, I pray for her all the time.
May 20th, 2007 at 5:45 am
Gazeta Digital - Madeleine’s abduction - “Special Report - Part I” - Highligths (posted at 05:05 am, May 20 2007)
“The main suspect (and only one, until now) in the Madeleine McCann abduction, Robert Murat, was under close police surveillance since the morning of May 4, the following day to the child disappearance.”
(…)
“Murat took the initiative to talk with two Portuguese journalists, saying that (…) he was “deeply disturbed with the abduction, because he had a three year old daughter who, by coincidence, was also called Madeleine”. His daughter, as was later revealed, is called Sophia.”
(…)
“That day (Saturday 5th) around 7:00 pm, a Portuguese journalist saw him sitting at a table of Batista’s supermarket terrace, chatting with a young man – the Russian computer expert Sergei Malinka who was also questioned by police and is a witness in this case.”
(…)
“Murat’s business web site, Romigen.com, (…) was registered in April 6, 2006, at 07:11 pm, but with the name of Robert Muray (a possible mistake, as letter “t” and “y” are togheter in the keyboard). The address is from Casa Liliana, the residence of Murat’s mother, Mrs. Jennifer Ann Murat. The home number and mobile phone are from Murat’s mother.”
(…)
“The site was closed on May 16, at 23:00 pm and put back online May 19, 01:36 am, sources told Gazeta Digital. On May 15, Polícia Judiciária declared formally that they had a suspect, later revealed by he media to be Robert Murat.”
(…)
“Portuguese TV channel SIC also said that Murat, a regular Internet user, stopped accessing the Net on the day Madeleine was abducted, during almost one week.”
Paulo Reis
pjcv.reis@gmail.com
Gazeta Digital
News and Opinion in English, Portuguese and 時事新聞
URL: http://gazetadigital.blogspot.com/
May 20th, 2007 at 4:58 am
Why wonder ross why not just be glad maybe this child will be found before she is old and lost to the world and us all. You should put more effort in being helpful to the one who get the attention than over concerned as to why. GOd keep her and her family.
May 20th, 2007 at 12:52 am
I see that things have reached the stage where personal attacks are being made. Not long beofre I am accused of being a Nazi I suppose….
Nobody has been able to explain to me why this case - above all others - has recieved the attention that it has.
I would very much appreciate it if someone could give me a rational explanation.
May 19th, 2007 at 11:19 pm
I totally agree that the papers are now using the story just to sell papers it’s not right to put out things like that no matter how hard your trying to keep the story in the limelight.
To be honest (and I speak as a mother of 3) eldest being 4 that never in my wildest dreams would I ever leave my children at home (whether on holiday or not) while I went out to dinner. Yes I understand they must feel bad about doing this and yes it was wrong of her to be taken but if they were in the UK and had been seen doing this they would have been reported to social services and investigated have any of you ever thought of that. Considering there was a free creche they could have used and an in room baby sitting service why did they feel the need to leave them alone like that and only check on them every 30 minutes call me over protective but I NEVER even leave mine in the car just to pop into the shop right outside I just don’t trust people.
May 19th, 2007 at 11:01 pm
I say this as a father… if some of you think that by being over emotional and irrational and intrusive is helping this family….then you are probably the same people buying and reading some of the creepy crap the press have been feeding you. Calm & quiet might help you and the family .
Pray in Peace
Billy
May 19th, 2007 at 10:41 pm
maybe your children should feel safe knowing the press care for us all and are always their to help at times of need….of course this is just a fairy story. The reality is quite ugly….a horror story that can run & run.
May 19th, 2007 at 10:34 pm
if your kids cant sleep at night…they should stop reading the papers….have you thought of giving them a cuddle and a kiss and reading them a pleasant story and telling them how much you love them. I am sure it will make them and you feel better. Leave Ross alone…he is not a monster…he has a relevant opinion and is not so ovr emotional that he cant see. Stop all your silly sobbing and grow up….this story is about the press role in this affair. They are only helping themselves …to other poor peoples stories. They are heartless blood hounds and should be censored.
Peace & Light
billy
May 19th, 2007 at 10:21 pm
Ross
your obviously not a father, a brother, or an uncle ? your comment is heartless and sick. here is a little girl out there with a creep, can you picture yourself at 4 years old been taken by this creep.Whats money when our children cannot sleep at night and not be safe!!!!!!!!!!!
May 19th, 2007 at 9:58 pm
some of you should get a grip on yourselves and your emotions. It is quite obvious to me that you have been reading too many stories in the press about this families plight. This particular story on Anorak is about how the press are using this family to feed you the horroe and grief….for a price…their own profit. We all agree this is a terrible and very real situation…i.e. a missing child….but please explain what bad press can do to help this situation. This is a private matter that the police and other authorities are trying to deal with. Poor and innacurate reporting will only add to the grief. You all mean well..but you are not helping by backing the way the media has dealt with this story so far.
It has been almost goulish and i find it ugly.
Let Maddies family & friends find their way without the intrusion of the profiteers. That is my opinion…and i have children and have suffered tragedy…and i feel the pain.
Peace & Light
Billy
May 19th, 2007 at 8:37 pm
I regretted my prior post the second it went off…there is a difference between being so angry you feel you could do something so harsh and actually doing it. Reason should prevail I suppose.
I’m hoping murat and malinka were both involved because then there is the outside chance she was sold off to an illegal ring of some kind….and is stil alive.
I’m also hoping the portuguese police are craftier than they may seem.
This reminds me of the teenaged American girl from… Georgia?? who was abducted (or went missing at least) in Aruba while on holiday. The similarities are quite strong to this case except for the age difference of the two victims. Can’t remember her name but her mother flew down and stayed in her hotel and may still be there. Aruban police had some people of interest in for questioning and then the trail went cold. The mother confronted the people in question but they refused to speak with her—a woman desperately just trying to find answers. How cruel !
May 19th, 2007 at 7:10 pm
Ross, I hope to god that you never have children, and if you are a parent , that nothing bad ever happens to your children……Shame on you………
May 19th, 2007 at 7:07 pm
Seems that time is so so precious and critical right now in the search for Madeleine. Also seems that Bob Murat and the Russian website dude were up to no good that night. They have “Scott Peterson” - (convicted murderer in USA of wife and unborn child) type answers and behavior all over them. Seems most likely that they are involved. IF I WERE THE MCCANN”S–AND THIS WILL SEEM RUTHLESS, CAUSE IT IS—I would hire professional interrogators to get truthful complete answers from these two and now! If it meant subjecting them to truth serum or pain so be it. WHY WAIT? They will forevr regret not doing everything and anything as soon as possible. Their little baby’s life could depend on it. WHY ARe MURAT AND THE RUSSIAN LYING? IT”S PLAIN TO SEE.
May 19th, 2007 at 6:48 pm
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article1810536.ece
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article1811160.ece
May 19th, 2007 at 6:39 pm
If she had been my girl I would not have left her alone whilst I headed off to the pub.
My gripe is with the media, not with the parents since this happeend (although they are responsible).
The family are using the media - as many of us would do, but likewise the media are suing this case to sell papers. It is just like Diana.
May 19th, 2007 at 6:25 pm
All I know is, if Madeleine was my little girl I would do absolutely anything to get her back, including using the press to my advantage. So would everyone reading this.
May 19th, 2007 at 6:06 pm
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=37797
May 19th, 2007 at 5:05 pm
Abbie and Hayley -
Those are the most ridiculous, emotion driven, sentimental, non sensicle posts that I have ever had the misfortune to read.
Of course people hope that theis child is found - but I object to this life being raised to being something more important than just about anything that has ben happening in the world.
Personally I think that the lives of hundreds of children all over the world are more important than the life of one!
May 19th, 2007 at 3:56 pm
so it should be kept in the papers its better than hearing about stupid celebrities.
and how is maddies sister holding her faverioute toy meant to make more money for the papers??
maybe its because a little girl wants her sister back.
how would you feel to have your sister missing in a strange place?
on her own?
a little girl on her own for gods sake, anything said against the family is insanely stupid. all that is needed here is love and support.
i think the deaath sentance should come in for any rape or murder of an under 16, at least under 10 anyway. because it is disgusting.
i prey that maddie goes home safe.
i think everyone should.
imagine if she is alive how scared she is, thats enough to make me want to commit suicide thinking that life is this horrible.
please come home maddie