Madeleine McCann: Britney Spears, Lolita And Birthday Cards
MADDYWATCH - Anorak’s at-a-glance guide to press coverage of Madeleine McCann
DAILY MAIL: “Woolworths forced to withdraw LOLITA bedroom furniture range for girls”
The Lolita Midsleeper Combi, a wooden bed with pull-out desk and cupboard designed for girls aged around six, retails on the Woolworths website for £349.99
The name has “sexual connotations”. A “mother” sees it and writes: “Am I being particularly sensitive, or does anyone else out there think it’s bad taste for Woolies to have a kiddy bed range named ‘Lolita’?”
Well, you don’t have to buy it…
A spokesman for the company says: “What seems to have happened is the staff who run the website had never heard of Lolita, and to be honest no one else here had either. We had to look it up on Wikipedia. But we certainly know who she is now”
Trusting Wikipedia for information has its own dangers. (And look out for an article on the state of British education.) But no danger is bigger than a bed named, perhaps, in honour of a charcter in a novel by Vladimir Nabokov
Or Lolita Fatjo, pre-production coordinator for Star Trek
Or many other women called Lolita
“On-line parent power has been growing in recent years. In 2006 Tesco stopped selling a pole-dancing kit on its website over accusations it was destroying children’s innocence. And last summer an on-line campaign by Mumsnet resulted in a cinema advert about the disappearance of Madeleine McCann stopped from being screened before the children’s film Shrek the Third”
THE TIMES: “Staff at Woolworths baffled by fuss over the little girl’s bed called Lolita”
“Woolworths has withdrawn bedroom furniture for young girls bearing the sexually charged name Lolita after a campaign waged by a mothers’ online chat room”
An internal company e-mail seen by The Times goes: “As discussed, we’ve got the product below on our website. Can it be hidden as soon as is possible? Then I really need to find out how it came about being on our site and who bought it. Lolita is a word that means sexually active young teenagers, so a young girls’ range of bedroom products is in very poor taste. We’ve had an approach from a website who are clearly a little disturbed by this”
THE SUN: “Gift from Maddie for twins”
No, not furniture
“Twins Sean and Amelie McCann will get a special present from their missing sister Maddie today on their third birthday. Parents Kate and Gerry got the gift for the pair who, at three, are the same age as Maddie when she vanished last May”
Sad. But is it relevant to the case? Is it news?
Grandmother Eileen McCann tells us: “Of course Madeleine being there would be our dream but we’ll do our best to make sure the twins have a lovely day”
DAILY TELEGRAPH: “Card from Madeleine at McCann twins party”
The twins are getting a gift in the Sun…
“Gerry and Kate McCann will throw a birthday party for their twins tomorrow - complete with a card from their missing four-year-old daughter, Madeleine”
DAILY STAR: “MISSING MADDIE’S SPECIAL PREZZIE”
“Little Sean and Amelie McCann will open a special present from their big sister as they celebrate their third birthday today”
With a card?
Says Eileen McCann: “There will be presents galore, lots of fun and games, lots of food and a big cake. Of course, Madeleine being home would make it complete and we continue to pray for that blessing”
SUR (Spain): “Marbella suffer their first loss of the year against Linares”
A football match: “Wearing T-shirts to raise awareness of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann and Mari Luz Cortés, the children playing in the tournament accompanied the players onto the pitch as mascots at the beginning of the game”
RADAR: “Theater of Cruelty, Carnival of Souls”
“British rags hardly pretend to be providing straightforward news. What they are doing is what used to be the job of popular fiction; namely, processing myth out of characters sucked in from real life. Right now the cast list includes such durable regulars as Kate Moss—with or without Pete Doherty—Princes Harry and Wills, Posh and Becks, and Kate and Gerry McCann, whose daughter Madeleine’s kidnapping/disappearance in Portugal made them last year’s headliners”
ALISTAIR CAMPBELL (TIMES): Britney Spears: person or news commodity? She’s a great singer but obviously ill: we in the media have to decide to leave her alone”
Britney Spears and Madeleine McCann..?
“In some sections of the media, Madeleine McCann and her family are there. As I said in the Cudlipp Lecture on Tuesday, her disappearance was an interesting and important story, the stuff of every parent’s nightmare. But it quickly became a commodity in which most of the media got close to hysteria, and some have remained there. Let us not pretend the coverage was driven by concern for the child - there are many missing children - or compassion for the parents - certainly not once the mood shifted - or regard for the truth. It has been the worst example of recent times, on a par with Diana, of some newspapers thinking that the word “Madeleine” sells, and finding literally any old nonsense to keep her name in that selling position on the front”
THE GUARDIAN: “Mechanics of the McCann campaign - Professional media management may have generated coverage of Maddy’s disappearance, but it hasn’t helped with public sympathy for the family”
“Try as they might neither Clarence Mitchell nor Justine McGuinness could quite shake off the sense that the way they’ve managed this case might have contributed to some negative public sentiment towards the family. In place initially as what Mitchell described as “a buffer” between the shocked and distraught parents and the world’s media, hungry for news about Madeleine, it’s clear that what developed was a professional media management operation. With city PR firm Bell Pottinger on hand - primarily, we can assume, to defend the interests of their clients Mark Warner Holidays - as well as Justine and, latterly, Clarence with all their experience of Westminster spin, the McCanns could not have wanted for more professional advice. But as time went on media management itself - and once you’ve started feeding stories to the press to get control of the agenda, you really can’t stop - began generating negative reaction from other parties”
Madeleine McCann: Making news and sensation from grief
Posted: 1st, February 2008 | In: Madeleine McCann Comments (1,022) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
Comments
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February 1st, 2008 at 10:35 am
50
Rockhopper Says:
Remember a while ago they wanted a high level pow wow with GB and they were turned down, I think Observer might be right, the Govt know who the Mc’s legal team are and how they would seize on any technical loophole.
**************
Yes, but I also remember that they were offered a meeting with a low-level minister. That offer was played down in the media. But it was an offer not made to any other suspects’ PR team in history.
Why did they have to meet GB anyway? GB could easily delegate authority on the matter to the low-level minister.
So I might just as well assume that the trumpeted refusal of a high-level meeting was just a lot of hype designed to make it look like the government was not involved.
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Mods and Admin
If you recall they demanded to meet all those on high, even when meeting the POpe it was published as a private audience, which it wasn’t , meeting the Bush’s didn’t happen, most if not all the leaders of different countries avoided meeting them.
February 1st, 2008 at 10:34 am
120
wasn’t me, but years ago a hippy i know ended up penniless in morocco and tried to get the money to go home from them.
as i remember, she ended up getting deported by the moroccans instead for possession of cannabis or whatever it was, and then the british consulate billed her for 50 quid to get her passport back when she got home.
February 1st, 2008 at 10:34 am
In the very unfortunate event that an elder sibling has died, it is common that the ones left feel inferior to them, this is because the ‘missing’ sibling can do no wrong and gains a status of perfection from the parents and other adults.
It is a difficult issue - realistically the twins will have no memories of maddie, so they should be allowed to get on with their lives uncluttered, but the parents however need to keep her real for their own sanity. Difficult situation to balance in normal situations - when its all over the press on a daily basis who knows what harm it will do to the twins in the long run..
The twins as well as madeleine are vitims in this situation IMO
February 1st, 2008 at 10:30 am
triplets — god!
i have twin girls, and you can’t imagine how many hours you spend telling one a story or whatever, and then having to tell the other one exactly the same story even though they were listening while you told the first one, just because they get pissed off if you don’t.
triplets would drive anyone mad.
February 1st, 2008 at 10:29 am
119
firestar Says:
February 1st, 2008 at 10:27 am
114
making contact is one thing, getting them to do anything is a different story.
one of their favourite ploys, if they don’t want to help you, is to give you stuff that must be filled in immediately and then tell you they don’t have a pen you can borrow.
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Sounds like you have personal experience. What happened?
February 1st, 2008 at 10:27 am
114
making contact is one thing, getting them to do anything is a different story.
one of their favourite ploys, if they don’t want to help you, is to give you stuff that must be filled in immediately and then tell you they don’t have a pen you can borrow.
February 1st, 2008 at 10:26 am
98 Steve T
I agree with you too. They definitely are weird.
February 1st, 2008 at 10:25 am
103 Firestar
Having read the Joana Morais blog, I totally agree!
February 1st, 2008 at 10:25 am
Good morning lovelies…….x
=========
lá Breithe shona dhuit Brandon!
(Happy Birthday Irish-style)
Just-me: couldn’t resist a peep at card -
v good.
February 1st, 2008 at 10:24 am
111
Châtelaine Says:
February 1st, 2008 at 10:21 am
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Hi, did you see my post 188 yesterday illustrating how easy it is to make contact with the consular out of hours?
February 1st, 2008 at 10:23 am
“…He added: ‘They said they were going to go and find the monster that took Maddie. Then they dashed off to play the game. It’s a sad story, but it is healthy that Madeleine remains a real presence in their lives.’
A spokesman for the McCanns denied the story. ….”
February 1st, 2008 at 10:22 am
Carmen Says:
February 1st, 2008 at 10:19 am
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the really annoying thing is that people in jobs with power and influence actually pay to listen to him.
February 1st, 2008 at 10:21 am
A Dutch criminal journalist claims to have cracked the Nathalie Holloway case… He has a 2-hour programme on this airing Sunday evening. Nathalie’s mother is in the Netherlands already.
February 1st, 2008 at 10:19 am
Happy Birthday to you, Brandon!
February 1st, 2008 at 10:19 am
Can’t stay , off to chiropractor. Happy birthday Brandon-flours, I think their sending a little something from Portugal today to keep you happy.
February 1st, 2008 at 10:19 am
My poor old Maman nearly choked the other day, when I told her about to “Monster” game. I am definitely going to put her at risk again, so won’t tell her about MM’s birthday card for the twins.
February 1st, 2008 at 10:19 am
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR BRANDON
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
February 1st, 2008 at 10:18 am
100
Rockhopper Says:
February 1st, 2008 at 10:15 am
98
SteveT Says:
February 1st, 2008 at 10:13 am
Rockhopper,
Do you expect any announcements?
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Not really, just keeping it in everyones mind so if nothing happens Sledgie gets a pasting
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Though knowing Sledgie he’ll drag something up from the archives and pass it off as new and groudbreaking!
February 1st, 2008 at 10:17 am
95
xklamation Says:
February 1st, 2008 at 10:08 am
67
lilith Says:
much more on Ray Wyre in the link bellow
http://joana-morais.blogspot.com/2008/01/ray-wyre-spinning-for-mccanns.html
Ray Wyre on Sunday Telegraph
27th May 2007
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this man is a religious maniac on a crusade against satan, and in my opinion should not be let near children or sane people.
jj 1 10.44
February 1st, 2008 at 10:16 am
SteveT
If anyone else had told us about the announcement, I might have almost believed them.
But it was Hedgeslammer, who has never posted anything worthwhile in his life.
Put it this way, if there is an announcement, it will prove that Hedgeslammer is in the McCanns’ circle, as has been suggested a few times.
I won’t hold my breath.
February 1st, 2008 at 10:16 am
Rockhopper,
Good idea!
February 1st, 2008 at 10:15 am
98
SteveT Says:
February 1st, 2008 at 10:13 am
Rockhopper,
Do you expect any announcements?
———————————————
Not really, just keeping it in everyones mind so if nothing happens Sledgie gets a pasting
February 1st, 2008 at 10:13 am
Rockhopper,
Do you expect any announcements?
February 1st, 2008 at 10:11 am
93
Marie Nicholas
I agree totally with what you were saying. My post 68 basically says that.
I am of the opinion that the “monster” story is just to spin the abduction story, as with the card/present.
February 1st, 2008 at 10:11 am
1 hr 24 mins and counting!
February 1st, 2008 at 10:08 am
67
lilith Says:
much more on Ray Wyre in the link bellow
http://joana-morais.blogspot.com/2008/01/ray-wyre-spinning-for-mccanns.html
Ray Wyre on Sunday Telegraph
27th May 2007
Ray Wyre, an acknowledged expert on sexual crimes, Portugal attracts huge numbers of them. He has been to the country several times helping track down paedophile rings. “British paedophiles have always operated there,” he says. “If a child was being snatched on behalf of a barren couple, they would probably have taken one of the twins,” he says. “The sad thing is that paedophiles are attracted to beautiful little girls, especially blondes, like Madeleine.”
FIND THE MADELEINE MONSTER
27 January 2008
Maddie’s little brother and sister are learning to cope with their devastating loss by playing a game called Find The Monster Who Snatched Her.
“They still talk about Madeleine and even bring her into their games.”
Wyre went on: “Kate and Gerry told me they were sitting together the other day when the twins rushed into the room screaming and shouting.
“They asked what they were up to and the twins told them they were going to go and find the monster that took Maddie.
“Then they dashed off to play the game.”
February 1st, 2008 at 10:05 am
Brandon Flours
Happy birthday !
February 1st, 2008 at 10:03 am
75 Steve T
If I got that sort of expert advise, I would think twice before following it. The children can’t be brought up with the constant idea that their sister is out there, sending cards and presents, while held in the hands of a monster. They have to come to terms with reality. Not in a harsh way of course, but without lies. Let them have their birthday party without the ghost of their sister haunting it.
Peter Mac has a lot of insight as regards twins. I agree with his post.
As regard experts, it seems the Guardian has started criticising the PR campaign in a quiet and efficient way. Interesting.Very interesting.
February 1st, 2008 at 10:01 am
90
SteveT Says:
February 1st, 2008 at 9:57 am
++++++++++++++++
A McDonald’s diploma?
February 1st, 2008 at 10:00 am
ian - only those with a university education lol