Madeleine McCann: Duarte Levy, Clarence Mitchell And The Daily Mirror
DUARTE Levy writes on the case of Madeleine McCann. He alleges that that Clarence Mitchell, the McCanns’ PR adviser, is “using the Government’s services to keep watch on journalists and forum participants.” Says Mr Levy:
Clarence Mitchell, the McCann’s PR adviser and spokesman, continues to make use of the British government’s services despite having officially resigned from his position as director of the Media Monitoring Unit*. The accusation comes from a Home Office source who has stated that the outgoing director had called upon his former service to keep a watch not only on several journalists but also on the behaviour of participants in a list of forums and blogs considered to be “highly detrimental to the image of the McCanns and that of the British government”.
Can what Mr Levy alleges be true? And if it is, why would it be a big deal for the McCanns’ spokesman to keep an eye on the web, and get what help he can? Mr Levy continues:
Clarence Mitchell, a former journalist for the Daily Express and the BBC, was seconded by the Foreign Office to act as a liaison officer between the media and Madeleine’s parents. Through the intermediary of the respective British embassies, it was he who organised the McCann’s visits to the Vatican, Madrid, Berlin, Amsterdam and Rabat.
Since the very early days, media monitoring has been an important part of Clarence Mitchell’s work. While the McCann’s were in Praia da Luz, it was he who decided to separate journalists according to nationality: the British first, and the Portuguese last.
Today, the McCann’s PR campaign relies more than ever on monitoring public opinion: over the past few days several UK forums and blogs have been shut down due to “anti-McCann” comments. Amongst them is the Mirror newspaper’s forum, which erased all comments about the case without warning when the participants started to debate Home Office interference.
No response from Mr Mitchell is quoted in Mr Levy’s email to us. But why did the Daily Mirror close its forum? Anyone from those forums care to tell us what they know?
Anorak’s monitoring team try to read all reader comments - of which there are thousands.
Posted: 27th, January 2008 | In: Madeleine McCann Comments (741) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
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January 27th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Mods and Admin
You mentioned the “L” word. That doesn’t happen often. Did you know that the word ‘amateur’ has it’s origins in Latin (amator) and means ‘lover’. Only in modern times has that word collected negative connotations. There’s nothing particularly special about doing something for money after all.
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Mods and Admin
We know! Someone pointed out some time ago the DM had 9 paid Mods, Anorak then had AGW and moi, funny thing we are still here….
BTW I passed O level (1965) Latin, you could have knocked me over with the proverbial feather….
January 27th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
251
Matt. Says:
January 27th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
247…Annie_M
Hope the Leics Social Services read The People…..
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Why, of course.
I thought that everybody knew that the best way to help small children recover from a deeply traumatic event is to tell them that it was caused by a monster who hasn’t been caught and is still around.
It will encourage them to spend every moment of their lives vigilant about the monster who is waiting to take them too…
January 27th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
260
dcb
Yep
January 27th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
256…can’t say no
“”"1% truth”"”"….????
Please don’t make such exaggerated claims. This is a responsible Forum.
January 27th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
256
can’t say no Says:
January 27th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
90% lies
The rest 9% innuendo
1% truth
++++++++++++++++++++
Maybe like a couple of people we all know?
January 27th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
Can’t say No
I found the site, which surprised me as I am not very good with the computer. I also found “esplendor de la forma”, with the help of my friend Google. When you want translations from French to English, I can do it, no problem, even though my English will be clumsy and heavy at times.
I now have to leave for a while : family gatherings are sacred on a Sunday in France.
I am not very worried about today’s news. I am not displeased that Duarte Levy put his foot into the dish (qu’il ait mis les pieds dans le plat), as we say, and it seems to me that there is nothing new about the PJ who always said they kept the kidnapping option open as well, even if the probability was tiny.
Good sleuthing, I will read your posts tonight when I come back.
January 27th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
Mods and Admin
Do you have any idea whats 24 horas tabloid ??????
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Mods and Admin
I take it a lot like our Daily Gossip and Bullshit Bible?
January 27th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
238
SteveT
Annie_M
“What a load of rubbish! If it is true, those kids will be scarred for years.”
Or scared for life!!! Well, we know who we think the monsters are! This is extremely disturbing.
January 27th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
246
BabyJane
Yep
24 horas ,is Tabloid i never read
90% lies
The rest 9% innuendo
1% truth
January 27th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
246
BabyJane Says:
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Mods and Admin
Ah you made it after all?
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Yes, thank you! The secret was: One simply has to press the “log out”-button in the Forum.
Now I can even hop between Forum and here. Feels like flying.
888888888888888
Ok shall pass it on to Nick
January 27th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
251
Matt
That has done my head in.
January 27th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
252
chenier
dirty ,dirty
January 27th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
228
Irene Says:
January 27th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
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Irene, did you see the Times article yesterday? John Corner said:
“We need to sustain the cost of the search for Madeleine. All money I receive from the broadcast itself will go straight back into the fund.”
That is a very strange form of words; why say ‘back into the fund’, unless money came out of the Fund in the first place?
I wonder whether this is part of the reason Esther McVey resigned?
January 27th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
247…Annie_M
Hope the Leics Social Services read The People…..
January 27th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
19
Sledgehammer Says:
January 27th, 2008 at 9:01 am
Morning Carmen, yes I am a member of several organisations, but of the McCann variety sorry to disappoint you no. It appears that you have an axe to grind with people, who would like to see evidence before they convict anyone. I find it amusing the number of times that you come to the rescue of the barmy brigade, at least AGW is quite clear on his and Anorak’s stance, no charges, no evidence be careful, have a delightful Sunday and an enjoyable Sunday dinner.
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Well said!
My feelings also.
January 27th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
237
Annie_M
FIND THE MADELEINE MONSTER
http://www.people.co.uk/news/tm_headline=find-the-maddie-monster&method=full&objectid=20300040&siteid=93463-name_page.html
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No suprise to me ,to see this crap
January 27th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
223 Ian etc
Surely all this speculation in the papers today about “no prosecution without a body” is just a rehash of articles that appeared way back in September, when the prosecutor was demanding more evidence before he’d allow requestioning? (See example below) Why it’s resurfaced now is anyone’s guess.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article2524886.ece?token=null&offset=0
January 27th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
243
Matt
I hope this is a wind up?
If not..
He’s not just stupid but dangerous also. IMO
No Matt, I’m finding this really hard to believe.
January 27th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
The Sundy Mirror article is based on a big story in the Portuguese “24horas”, which - as we know - is not reliable.
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Mods and Admin
Ah you made it after all?
January 27th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
MARIE NICHOLASS
tHANK YOU. This same drug under another name was tried on children in Nigeria without their Gov permission. A number of children died others were left severely crippled. This case has recently been brought before the US courts in a class action suite. Someone at the Washington Post or THe Washington Times investigated, not sure of outcome. MIL now only sees her specialist2 or 3 times a year.
January 27th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
I wonder if pig farmers wife knew about his previous rape before all the fuss this week?
January 27th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
237…Annie_M
“”"Ray Wyre”"”"….sounds like a very stupid Criminologist.
January 27th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
238
SteveT
My thoughts exactly.
How do the twin’s sleep at night?.
This is not healthy, if there is any truth in it.
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Mods and Admin
Madeleine apart, the twins are also victims in this situation.
We musn’t forget 3 children were left alone
January 27th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
CHENIER
Yes thank goodness she is still alive, cant walk much though, whereas before she was sprightly, played agood game of golf and tennis too. She suufers from SLE auto immune dissease. But is tough, very tough.
January 27th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
212 Bountyhunter
This is dreadful, but not surprising, though I thought doctors had learnt by now and that they were reluctant to prescribe antibiotics unless necessary. Some years ago, they prescribed them, especially to children, like crazy. I hope when your mother-in-law gets better, she asks a few questions to her GP, and she finds a new, better one.
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Mods and Admin
Purely personal and not administrative at all, but needs must when the devil drives. I was completely floored by meningitis last year and received extremely powerful and dangerous antibiotics, but I was the target of a killer/severly disabling disease. Happily for me it worked, but should I sue for being put at risk of recovery? or claim for neglect. As in journalism they are damned if they do, and damned if they don’t….
January 27th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
215 Ian.
You’re right about that. I did post some days ago that the reason was lack of moderation… or rather the libellous and abusive posts were coming in thick and fast and by the time the moderators got to them they had already been copied and pasted! The moderators couldn’t keep up….
I was told that by someone who works sporadically for the Mirror. Simply not worth the hassle as the majority just posted on the Madeleine forum and never ‘read’ the Mirror which is the purpose of newspaper forums. Lure em in……….. its all about business whichever paper it is.
Nothing political……
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Mods and Admin
We are quite a large site, but the MM threads are the busiest, but why close them?
Ah perhaps M and A on this site work for love, not the other great seemingly ‘emotional ‘fulfiller - money?
January 27th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
237
Annie_M
What a load of rubbish! If it is true, those kids will be scarred for years.
January 27th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
27 January 2008
FIND THE MADELEINE MONSTER
http://www.people.co.uk/news/tm_headline=find-the-maddie-monster&method=full&objectid=20300040&siteid=93463-name_page.html
January 27th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Got to go, family harrassing me!
January 27th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
226 Ade
The PJ are very astute. The positioning of the abduction investigation (at this point in time) at the same level as the other ‘option(s)’ is political positioning or I’m a dutchman (Im not a dutchman!).