Madeleine McCann: What Shannon Matthews Is Worth, Asda And PR
MADDYWATCH - Anorak’s at-a-glance guide to press coverage of Madeleine McCann and Shannon Matthews
THE SUN: “£20k reward in Shannon hunt”
THE Sun yesterday offered a £20,000 reward to find missing “little princess” Shannon Matthews.
Good on the paper. But does a reward help? Has it helped Madeleine Mccann? And why £20,000 when Madeleine McCann garnered so much more? Is a reward index linked to the missing child’s age? Or is it because Shannon’s parents are not middle-class - not doctors - and smaller amounts mean more to them?
We also printed posters urging our vast army of readers to help in the hunt for the nine-year-old schoolgirl. And last night her anguished mum Karen, 32, said: “I’m so grateful for all you are doing. It’s a fantastic gesture and means so much to us. We just hope it brings her back.”
Then, hugging Shannon’s stepdad Craig Meehan, 22, she added: “Our message to people is never give up . . . because we won’t until we find her.”
THE TIMES: “Poor little Shannon Matthews. Too poor for us to care that she is lost?”
“Her family may seem feckless. Neighbours can’t afford to run a PR campaign. How the public spotlight faded on missing girl.”
Shannon..?
Sarah Payne, smiling in her school uniform; Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, in their Manchester United shirts; Madeleine McCann, staring inquisitively with her distinctive bleeding iris . . .The names and faces of these girls who have disappeared are etched into the public’s collective memory.
Camera crews camped out in their home towns for weeks or months. Donations totalled thousands — even millions — of pounds. Members of the public, many of them strangers, came in their hundreds to offer help and prayers for their safe return.
Yet the trauma and mystery surrounding the disappearance of one nine-year-old girl almost two weeks ago appeared to drift from public consciousness within days…
She’s not Madeleine McCann. No doctors. No logo. No Maddy Catty. No watching the parents. The media treatment is no fault of the McCanns. But are we bored of missing children stories. Have the press caught Maddy fatigue?
Contrast the media-savvy McCann campaign with the brave efforts of Petra Jamieson, 30, a friend of Shannon’s mother, who managed to persuade her local branch of Asda to donate 24 white T-shirts on which the girl’s photograph had been printed.
What happened to Shannon Matthews? Who can we blame? The parents?
A deprived background, a dysfunctional family and a down-on-its-luck Yorkshire mill town: none of this is Shannon Matthews’s fault, yet it seems that she is paying the price.
No holiday scene. No excuse for hacks to go to hotter climes. Yorkshire in winter. Grey. Grim.
GLASGOW DAILY RECORD: “Mother’s Day Wish”
THE distraught mum of missing schoolgirl Shannon Matthews last night cried: “All I want for Mother’s Day is my princess back.”
DAILY MIRROR: “ALL I WANT FOR MOTHER’S DAY IS MY PRINCESS BACK”
Shannon Matthews’ desperate mother last night movingly declared: “All I want for Mother’s Day is my princess back.”As police continued searching thousands of homes for the missing nine-year-old schoolgirl, mum Karen, 32, said: “It is a special family day and we would all spend it together.
“Shannon would usually buy me a present or make me something at school.”
Stepfather Craig Meehan, 22, added: “It is going to be a heartbreaking Mother’s Day.”
LIVERPOOL ECHO: “Where’s media cry for poor Shannon?”
HOW disturbing that 10 days after Shannon Matthews disappeared, we still know so little about her. Her favourite band? The school she attends? The name of her best friend? All details that should be on our lips but aren’t.
But we do know her favourite song.
Somehow the vanishing of this little girl with her pony tail and fringe has failed to capture the media’s imagination; a story regularly consigned to the inside pages.
Why? Why do some cases attract saturation coverage and others don’t? I suspect it’s down to image, which stands for everything, and the skill now needed to work the notoriously fickle media.
Madeleine McCann’s parents have been criticised for employing a professional PR and for playing the media game, providing photo opportunities and press calls. But it’s paid dividends. The world now knows their daughter’s name and what she looks like.
Shannon’s mum can be no less distraught than Kate, but whether she has the support or the finance to get a media campaign on the road is doubtful.
But at the end of the day there is a little girl out alone in a harsh, cold world. And we should all be working together to get her home.
What part does the media play in finding a missing child? Don’t we have the police to search for Shannon and crack the case?
THE OBSERVER (Blog): “Speaker gets new spin doctor”
A Whitehall spin doctor who was a spokeswoman for Madeleine McCann’s parents has been hired to help the Commons Speaker, Michael Martin, deal with the media, it was announced today.
Not Campbell?
Sheree Dodd is an experienced communications expert who worked for John Prescott at the time it was revealed he was having an affair with his diary secretary.
Just another job…
Madeleine McCann- The PR Storm
Posted: 1st, March 2008 | In: Madeleine McCann, Tabloids Comments (798) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
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March 1st, 2008 at 12:24 pm
109 Dee
Some here, some time ago, one night, were speaking about it. They even said how much they gave, (which I thought was quite much), and they didn’t look pleased at all with the “Fund”’s management of their donation.
March 1st, 2008 at 12:21 pm
108
Matt.
This is very encouraging.
I have faith the PJ is going to be help by the uk cops…the issues at stake …yeah more than one…
Dole or Rif mountains for clarrie then?
March 1st, 2008 at 12:19 pm
104 Matt
“Relatively speaking….a much more valuable contribution.”
Yes, we don’t even know the name of this gentleman !
Same with the little gypsy girl. The money offered as a reward for information is proportionally much more than in the MC’s case, as it is the parents’s house, and only possession, from what Jo told us.
I don’t think we’ll be given a lot of information about the interviews.
Interesting that some want to change their testimonies, but very surprising if true. They would have done it already.
March 1st, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Sorry, that didn’t come across the way it was meant to, i meant, has anyone else who donated to the M fund are happy with the way their money has been used.
March 1st, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Comment by Polandguy…posted 29/2/08…on 3 Arguidos site.
“”"At an international event today I had the opportunity to have a
quick chat with Nuno Miguel Magalhaes, Deputy Chairman of the
European Affairs Committee in the Portuguese Parliament.
He is an MP with a background in home affairs and security issues
and a very pleasant man. Of course, completely off topic of the conference,
I said straight away that I was keenly interested in the McCann case
and that I wanted to express my support for the efforts of the PJ to
get to the bottom of the case, and disassociated myself from the
pressure of the British government and media over the matter.
He was delighted and told me to rest assured that all parties in the
parliament were fully supportive of the PJ, and were well aware of
the issues at stake.
I rounded off by assuring him that the PJ have a lot of supporters in
the UK and not all are in agreement with the messages and tactics
of Clarence Mitchell.
He was especially pleased at that final comment. No more time to
talk further with him unfortunately, but it made my day.”"”"”"
Clarrie isn’t a very popular chappie, is he ?
March 1st, 2008 at 12:13 pm
98
Trismegistus Says:
March 1st, 2008 at 11:45 am
_____
It would seem that people now feel deluded about giving money for missing children, the McC’s PR spin has ruined things for missing children in the future (imo).
I asked a question of Garth the other evening, which he declined to answer.
Did he donate to the maddie fund, and if so did he think his money had been well spent? I would like to hear from anyone else that could answer either question, please?
March 1st, 2008 at 12:13 pm
105
Gandolf
Hi Gandolf
Its just an other stoopid spin….thats all.
No need to bother.
I much prefer to feed on your massive musical culture really
March 1st, 2008 at 12:09 pm
So whats true, if any of it.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The son, a police officer of the GNR, advised the father to phone to the Judiciary Police of Portimão. “ He (the son) dialled the number and I said what I am telling you (to the journalist of 24 Horas newspaper)”, he remembers to 24horas.
The inspector who answered then asked him if in the hotel there was a system of video vigilance. The taxi-driver did not know.
Up to today, António waits the police contact to give declarations personally. “I defend the girl as I would defend my granddaughter”, he affirms.
Some days later, out of curiosity, António still asked for informations to some of his acquaintances, at the service of the Hotel Apolo. He was told that there was not any reservation for that evening. They also told him that the Hotel had not been contacted by the Judiciary Police. Even worse. The system of video vigilance was damaged two years ago and was not catching any image. “Also I do not know if they did enter in the hotel”, says the taxi-driver.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From Correio da Manhã: A source connected with the investigation guaranteed that the facts told by António Castela were “investigated” and the “lead was proven false”.
March 1st, 2008 at 12:01 pm
101…Marie Nicholas
Relatively speaking….a much more valuable contribution.
And more likely to have come from the heart…than for publicity.
March 1st, 2008 at 11:57 am
98
Trismegistus
You”ve forgotten
Mari Luz Cortes 350.000€…….
March 1st, 2008 at 11:55 am
Morning all
Some news from spain altho” I did post some yesterday.
Juan Cortes went to italy coz he wanted to make sure for himslef that it was or not Mari Luz.What a weirdo hey!?
Why doesnt he stay put on his ass like some others and DEMAND to be served and attentended?
By the way any news of the mcIdiots going through official channels to have a footage of the video from france?
http://joana-morais.blogspot.com/2008/02/taxi-driver-story-and-rogatory-letter.html
March 1st, 2008 at 11:54 am
98 Trismegistus
Hi, 3 times the grandest ! (sounds like an orthodox hymn)
Didn’t I read somewhere that a retired man offered 500£ from his pension? Aren’t those pounds worth a thousand times more than a tycoon’s money ?
March 1st, 2008 at 11:49 am
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
#
16
Gandolf Says:
March 1st, 2008 at 7:48 am
The end is nigh, the sins of the world shall be visited upon the McCanns, QPR and Sunday drivers, but not necessarily in that order.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Are priests allowed to drive on Sundays?
March 1st, 2008 at 11:46 am
Looks like Anorak was a day ahead of the Mirror yesterday. A first?!
March 1st, 2008 at 11:45 am
Mornin’ all!
So now we have a definite measure of the relative worth of these two children:
Madeleine McCann: approx £2.6M (in rewards) + approx £1.5M donated by the public
Shannon Matthews: approx £25K (in rewards) + two dozen T-shirts donated by ASDA
Trismegistus is feeling a bit sick this morning.
March 1st, 2008 at 11:19 am
Bye Val, I keep popping back and forth whilst doing the housework, it was good chatting to you too, speak soon.
March 1st, 2008 at 11:12 am
18 Dawn
Hello Dawn. I found your post very interesting.
March 1st, 2008 at 11:01 am
89/91 Dee
Neither of them is very articulate and you would have thought their accents
still wouldn”t be so strong after years spent away from their environment, studying, travelling, living in a different area etc.
Must go , nice “chatting” to you, hopefully we will meet up later.
I too watched that programme, pleased the girls could put their dreadful
experience behind them and stay “normal”.
March 1st, 2008 at 10:51 am
92 Gandolf
O.K. point taken. Must go and do something useful now, like shopping, housework etc, how some posters manage to post for hours at a time beats
me. Catch you later
March 1st, 2008 at 10:45 am
penster, in a previous incarnation I was a Zalopian from the 4th sector of the Karankian Universe.
March 1st, 2008 at 10:41 am
Val,
“The rogatory letter was returned in January to the Public Prosecution Office, for lack of completion of some bureaucratic proceedings. It was remade and then returned to the English Home Office in the beginning of this month. Finally, the letter it’s already in the possession of the Police of Leicester and we are finalizing the details to give completion to the solicitations done by the British authorities”,
Leic cops not Portuguese, allegedly.
March 1st, 2008 at 10:28 am
I think it is because of their education Val, that they think everyone around them is stupid and wouldn’t have question them.
March 1st, 2008 at 10:26 am
cant say no
I have just read about the sad loss of your Mom, so sorry, we are both thinking of you and send you our love and prayers, the Bounty Familyxxxxxx
March 1st, 2008 at 10:25 am
Yeah the comment about being able to sleep well knocked me back too. I watched that programme the other night about the two little girls that were abducted but returned home, the father of one little girl still choked up when he was talking about it, all this time later and he got his little girl back!
Says a lot really doesn’t it. imo.
March 1st, 2008 at 10:21 am
83 Dee
Couldn”t agree more!!! How could Kate make such a crass remark about being
able to sleep normally after 5 days and the only thing she was guilty of was being
“Naive” about thinking it was safe to leave three children under 4 alone in a
strange apartment.. One wonders how she qualified as an Anaesthetist and GP.
March 1st, 2008 at 10:14 am
82 Gandolf says
I thought the “police source” referred to Portugese police, not U.K.
March 1st, 2008 at 10:12 am
75 Dee
There is one aspect of this case, which will undoubtedly rank with Jo Benet and
the Dingo case in Australia…..and after all these years, we still don”t know what
happened? The one thing that nobody has touched on is a valid explanation
for the bodily fluids found in the car 20 odd days after Madeleine went missing.
Without a body it would be very difficult to prosecute, the McCanns U.K.
lawyers will pounce on that and object to the DNA evidence as admissable.
At last something is happening though, so we shall see.
March 1st, 2008 at 10:12 am
I don’t understand why such a selfish couple felt the need to have the children, as it would seem that they were nothing more than a hinderence to their lifestyles.
I was watching a video again of one of the T9, she was talking about the night in question and almost slipped up! She almost said, we were having a good time, but paused before ‘good time’ slipped out and replaced it with ‘ a meal’. (imo).
March 1st, 2008 at 10:07 am
Gandolf just had a look at the TE link - he’s awesome. I saw him live and he sang as well which is apparently a very rare thing for him to do.
Have you used another identity on Anorak?
March 1st, 2008 at 10:07 am
Val - They are very fortunate to have had so much luck with IVF, and it is luck, an auntie and uncle of mine spent most of their productive lives and money on trying to have a baby with IVF. Had they succeeded the child would have been doted on, not left in creches and alone on holiday most of the time.
They (imo) abused this precious gift they had been given (3 times) by not being the best parents they could be.