Is Madeleine McCann Disappearing From The UK Press?
THE Anorak has been watching the media’s treatment of the Madeleine McCann story for some months.
The tragedy of a missing child was turned into a media feeding frenzy, a grim story with any gaps in the narrative plugged with speculation and voyeurism.
We were invited to become sleuths, armchair detectives working out who had done what and how. Nothing meaningful has been achieved by this. Madeleine McCann is missing.
Who cannot feel for those involved? Who would want to be them?
Now Anorak learns from a reader that the Madeleine McCann story may be disappearing from the British press, and newspapers’ websites.
Anorak’s team of moderators seeks to weed out libellous comments and anyone making accusations against individuals they cannot back up. We seek not to mirror the press but show you how the story is presented by media outlets to their audiences. Now read this:
. xklamation |
Madeleine McCann is vanishing from the British Press
Every single story in the Daily Express and in the Daily Star regarding Madeleine McCann has disappeared.
This was the answer given by the Daily Express’ online editor, Geoff Marsh:
“Hi xxx, Many thanks for your email. For operational reasons, some articles previously available on express.co.UK have been temporarily removed. I’m afraid I can’t go into any more detail. Best wishes, Geoff”
And from the web team of Daily Express:
“Hi xxx
Many thanks for your email - and indeed your continued support as a regular reader.
I assure you, we do value you - and your input.
Daily Express
Due to operational reasons, a number of stories which previously appeared on express.co.uk have been made temporarily unavailable.Apologies if this causes any inconvenience or disrupts your use of our website.
I’m afraid I can’t go into any more detail.
However I would like to emphasise once again that we value your readership - and are grateful for your ongoing support of express.co.uk.
Best wishes
The Web Team”
Why is thia happening?
Posted: 22nd, February 2008 | In: Madeleine McCann Comments (410) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
Comments
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February 22nd, 2008 at 8:06 pm
107
Marie Nicholas
Like Dcb/Chole say more likely an internal decision but we never know….
February 22nd, 2008 at 8:04 pm
105
dcb
February 22nd, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Obviously the DailyExpress and the DailyMirror feel they have to delete their articles for some reason.
Would they otherwise get into trouble? Why? Libel? Laws forbidding to publish pictures of children without the parents’ agreement?
We need a lawyer to tell us what the reasons could be.
February 22nd, 2008 at 7:59 pm
The thing is the “fund” is paying for the website!
February 22nd, 2008 at 7:55 pm
103
jo Says
It seems strangely quiet again after the french hiccup…
++++++++++++
Ah - the garlic!
February 22nd, 2008 at 7:55 pm
102
dcb
Madeleine”s case dissolving and being solved?
February 22nd, 2008 at 7:54 pm
101
dcb
“Due to operational reasons, a number of stories which previously appeared on express.co.uk have been made temporarily unavailable”
ok….its temporary.As you and Chloe are saying it might just be internal
Lets see what happens at the weekend.
It seems strangely quiet again after the french hiccup…
February 22nd, 2008 at 7:53 pm
“…We have launched the new website layout today. I hope you all like it and we are sure that you will find it much easier to navigate. The website was always envisaged as being the main portal to the find Madeleine campaign. If Madeleine remains missing and as the media attention drops then the website will be instrumental in keeping people up to date. As you will see a lot of work has gone in to extensively revising the content. Our whole family have unfortunately learnt an awful lot about the problems of missing and exploited children….”
It’s now 20 days since the news on the new website was updated. Not my idea of a “main portal”
February 22nd, 2008 at 7:44 pm
99
Chloe Spain Says:
February 22nd, 2008 at 7:40 pm
++++++++++++++++++++
I agree it is more likely to be an internal decision rather than outside influence.
February 22nd, 2008 at 7:40 pm
98
dcb
If I remember well it was published that the the mirror had been slammed because of libellous posters as a “clarrie”s rage and rave tantrum
I will look up at the link if I have kept it.
What is happening do you think?
I wonder what would happen if they tried to do this to anorak
February 22nd, 2008 at 7:40 pm
98 dcb
But did he talk about it afterwards?
I really don’t know what to make of this. I think it may simply be an internal thing of the Express group. It would be wonderful to think it was a prelude to some huge development but I have my doubts.
February 22nd, 2008 at 7:35 pm
97
jo Says:
February 22nd, 2008 at 7:29 pm
+++++++++++++++++++++++
I know you are talking to Chloe - but the only site I remember CM talking about was the Mccannfiles. I don’t remember him talking about the Mirror forum before it closed.
February 22nd, 2008 at 7:29 pm
96
Chloe Spain
Still no clarrie”s comment about the sites?
I take it its good news….but I cant understand.
There are many many sites and only those 2? weird.
New spin?
February 22nd, 2008 at 7:23 pm
95 Jo
I’ve been in and out but, as far as I can see, nothing’s actually happened, apart from what you can read in the Anorak piece at the top. Just the normal chit-chat.
February 22nd, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Chloe Spain
Hi
Do you ind to keep me up with any news? just come back dont know whats going on.
I left when sites were deleting.2 so far anymore since then?
Thank you
February 22nd, 2008 at 7:16 pm
Noseycow….. But the police themselves said openly at the time that they thought the boy had done it, (accidentally) they never accepted abduction…..
I have no idea what happened to Ben nor do I know what happened to Madeleine.
Ben’s disappearance was a huge story at the time but then just faded away. Like MmC seems to be doing……
and I dont berate!! I was just saying that you can’t present blog info as fact. Anyone can have a blog… gee, I have one!! But I hasten to add I don’t mention madeleine!
February 22nd, 2008 at 7:02 pm
“We were invited to become sleuths, armchair detectives working out who had done what and how. Nothing meaningful has been achieved by this. Madeleine McCann is missing.”
An interesting post from the Anorak introduction above.
February 22nd, 2008 at 6:57 pm
dinner calls…
bfn
February 22nd, 2008 at 6:56 pm
Cooland calm - the point i was trying (badly) to make was that in one post you were berating for posting opinions on the internet as fact and in your next post you stated an opinion about the police in the ben needham case as though it were a fact…
easy to do - isn’t it…
February 22nd, 2008 at 6:54 pm
87
coolandcalm Says:
February 22nd, 2008 at 6:53 pm
+++++++++++++++++++++++
I didn’t take it that way
February 22nd, 2008 at 6:53 pm
I wasn’t posting it as being for or against the McCanns and their situation… purely to show that the Ben Needham case just faded away from the public eye……… as per Anorak’s headline!
February 22nd, 2008 at 6:52 pm
is my comment awaiting clarences permission ?
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Now, now ‘Doris’ - no need to be ’sarky’!
If yoy explore other areas of Anorak, you will see that a link to the petition is already posted on the site
http://www.anorak.co.uk/forums/topic.php?id=1064&replies=1
Cheers!
Duncanr
February 22nd, 2008 at 6:47 pm
Chloe
I’m glad to hear I’m exaggerating the danger.
February 22nd, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Coolandcalm
I admit to being an armchair sleuth but I don’t have any xenophobic prejudices. It was a good article - except the hack had some obvious prejudices of her own.
And I think we have gone over the theory that it was an accident several times (mainly I suppose because that would still make Kate and Gerry idiots).
February 22nd, 2008 at 6:44 pm
81 Karen
I think, though, that these places seem more dangerous to those of us who aren’t there! At the time of the attempted coup in Spain in 1982, I knew quite a few English people (I don’t now, by the way). All their parents spent the whole night trying to phone them from England to find out whether they were all right. Mine phoned me routinely about 10 days later - they had lived through all kinds of Malay/Chinese riots and so on when we lived in Singapore in the sixties and were not overly impressed by an attempted military coup in Spain!
February 22nd, 2008 at 6:42 pm
79
coolandcalm Says:
February 22nd, 2008 at 6:37 pm
+++++++++++++++++++++
An interesting extract from the article you linked to:
“….The biggest problem with amateur detection is the systematic evolution of preferred theories, which, by dint of popularity, come to override plausibility - and none tips the scales of sense more surely than this: crime is always preferred over accident, by all involved. That a child might wander off and come to a lonely end does not suit those who live nearby: whether in Kos or Praia de Luz, they are no happier to admit to risk by drain or quagmire than by the hand of a native nutter.
It does not suit the media: note how quickly an accident leaves front pages; note how long a murder stays. It does not suit the armchair sleuths: how can you enjoy your xenophobic prejudices without central casting’s baddies to blame?
Most of all, it does not suit the families. Accident points not only to probable death but to more negligence than they have already admitted to themselves: what if checking on Ben ‘every few minutes’ wasn’t entirely accurate; what if checking on Madeleine ‘every half hour’ meant listening but never actually seeing her; how far, really, could a 21-month-old propel himself in five hours? Or a three-year-old in two and a half?…”
February 22nd, 2008 at 6:40 pm
78 Karen
Yes, I should think they would if they got the chance to try it. It’s really strange - it’s the one thing you can’t get ever, anywhere. The rest are all available at petrol stations. In some (not all) supermarkets, you can get Heinz salad cream and Branston pickle. But Crunchies never.
February 22nd, 2008 at 6:39 pm
Chloe
A friend of mine is spending her gap year teaching English in China - she can’t get any chocolate at all. I have to send her batches of it every month along with Heat magazine.
I worry about her in China though - it’s not the safest regime on Earth.
Outside her window about 30 miners were killed by government troops and it didn’t appear in any media sources at all - just the letter she sent me. (I worry about what would have happened to her if the State had read it.
).
February 22nd, 2008 at 6:38 pm
15 C&C and 74 xclamation
I find Joana’s blog extremely valuable, among other reasons, because it’s providing translations of the Portuguese press, which we wouldn’t have otherwise.
February 22nd, 2008 at 6:37 pm
Noseycow 35……….
……………………….
not quite sure what you meant but this is one of the latest updates on the history of Ben Needham….
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2180427,00.html
The brother of the mother has had to live under this shadow ever since.