Madeleine McCann: Prayers, Bones And Media
MADDYWATCH - Anorak’s at-a-glance guide to press coverage of Madeleine McCann
Remember, everyone, to play Anorak Bingo you must mention Madeleine McCann, Shannon Matthews and – here’s the tie-breaker – Scarlett Keeling. Eyes down…
DAILY MAIL: Amanda Platell
There cannot be a person in the country who didn’t feel a surge of delight on learning that little Shannon Matthews has been found alive and well.
We can think of one.
All the more so in these days when good news has become such a rare commodity. Yet even as we celebrate, we should spare a thought for Gerry and Kate McCann, for whom Shannon’s discovery, wonderful as it is, will be a fresh reminder of their own terrible loss. The return of one lost girl is a marvel. The return of two . . . now that’s a miracle worth praying for.
Was it the power of prayer that got Shannon Matthews found? If so, who gets the reward?
Tick. Tick.
THE INDEPENDENT: “Deborah Orr: Wonderful news that carries a message for the media”
It isn’t often that the papers have some really wonderful news to report. But it really is wonderful that Shannon Matthews has been found alive.
Amanda Platell agrees.
This amazing news also carries a lesson for the media, about the way it turns horrible crimes into great stories, and what an unpleasant, self-regarding business this can be.
There were suggestions that Shannon’s disappearance was not getting the coverage afforded to another lost child, Madeleine McCann, because the latter was a middle-class child and the former a child from a more modest and chaotic background. There is some truth in this argument, of course.
You can read about it all over the media.
But the underlying assumption is that all the publicity around the McCann case is something desirable and useful, while the more meagre reporting about the Matthew case is undesirable and useless. If children really could be reunited with their parents because of the magical power of speculative column inches, though, then Madeleine, not Shannon, would have been returned to her family by now. The very idea that the hypocritical furore around Madeleine is something to be aspired to, a benchmark of any positive kind, is quite wrong and ought to be challenged.
The McCanns should not be the media’s benchmark for missing children. We’ve heard that before…
True, the “debate” helped to keep Shannon’s abduction in the public domain, just as the “debate” around Made-leine continues to keep her case in the public domain.
A debate. On what? What was being debated?
It might be argued that there would have been no great endeavour to find Shannon had the press not made the supposedly modest fuss it did.
MEdia.
I believe this isn’t the case. The local media has a vast part to play, but the national and international press, apart from reporting facts about the investigation, can offer little but intrusive “colour”. The reality is that the vast majority of the “stories” written about the McCann case have been prurient and sensational pieces of cynical propaganda, serving no practical purpose at all except for the selling of newspapers.
Indeed. Read all about selling papers in the Independent.
Tick. Tick.
IRISH INDEPENDENT: “Divers recover bag of small bones in search for Maddy”
DIVERS searching an Algarve reservoir for Madeleine McCann yesterday found a plastic bag containing small bones. Police experts were last night examining the gruesome find made by a frogman working for a Portuguese lawyer.
Gerry and Kate McCann were informed immediately by a private detective who was observing the search. Madeira-based lawyer Marcos Aragao Correia says he was tipped off by underworld contacts that Madeleine was murdered and her body thrown into the reservoir last May.The search turned up the bones in the murky waters of the Barragem do Arabe reservoir yesterday at 3.30pm.
Mr Correia said last night: “We found two bags one of which contains some small bones. We don’t know if they are human bones or not at this stage. If they are human bones, they look like they come from a child’s fingers.”
Tick. And a half tick for speculation.
THIS IS LONDON: “Bag of small bones found in reservoir where lawyer claims Madeleine McCann’s body was dumped”
Says Clarence Mitchell: “We have not been informed of anything by the police to indicate that this find is significant. There is nothing to indicate at this stage that they are human bones and they could easily be from an animal. There is nothing at the moment to indicate that this find has anything to do with Madeleine. We continue to believe she is alive.”
THE SUN: “Shannon: 24 days of tears”
IN the end, the prayers were answered – as yesterday the tears of anguish over missing Shannon Matthews turned to sobs of relief.
Prayers. What of the tip off? The police work?
TIMELINE:
Sunday, February 24: CHURCHGOERS pray for Shannon’s safe return. Madeleine McCann’s parents send a message of support.
Tick. Tick.
THE GUARDIAN: “What women want”
Following last year’s Booker win, Anne Enright is finally enjoying wider recognition - despite her work’s reputation for being gloomy and obsessed with sex and death
She became the target of ire in the tabloids when they picked up an article she wrote in the London Review of Books dissecting her reaction to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. The piece was full of ambivalence, describing her suspicions of Gerry and Kate McCann but in the end condemning her own voyeurism. She refuses to say whether the fracas upset her, but seems sensibly resigned, agreeing that events proved how she was naive to think her nuances would be understood in the grotesque guessing game that the story had become: “I was misread and I hoped that would become apparent, but there’s no point in me stomping around and fighting with shadows.”
Posted: 15th, March 2008 | In: Broadsheets, Madeleine McCann, Tabloids Comments (621) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
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March 15th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
412
can’t say no
Thanks by the way
March 15th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
Denzylle
I heard about 300 persons ,but can’t be sure, that were interviewed
March 15th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
411
When it’s busy, I find it really difficult to keep up on / catch up on posts.
But, when it’s quiet (like today), altho’ I try to read back on what I’ve missed, I’m mostly mithering about the fact that no-one’s posting!
An I addicted, or what?
March 15th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
Another Vera post
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
“I am not in any way in breach of the law as I have not stated anything that I said to the PJ.
If I had done, I would be in breach of the law. I have only spoken of things that I have overheard or have personally seen.
If you think that what I have written is rubbish, that’s fine with me. It is completely irrelevant to me what your opinion is. It doesn’t change facts or other peoples opinions just because you disagree with it, now does it? Just because you personally didn’t see a thing happening. Does that mean it doesn’t happen?
Where have I made up any story to make them look guilty on my post? I gave an honest and polite view of my own observations and that was all. I left people to come to their own conclusions as to what they think of the McCann’s according to their own opinions and observations and not mine. I was under the impression that people were allowed an opinion of their own on here. Or am I wrong?
I do not know whether the McCann’s had anything to do with Madeleine’s disappearance or not. How could I? I was not there watching them when it happened. Were you?
I merely mentioned that I overheard ‘a’ woman telling the police about a child crying. I never said that she was the same person on the TV. I have never even seen a picture of the woman you say denied hearing a child crying, and I didn’t say that she had been on TV.
I don’t know whether they are one and the same person or not. How could I? There might have been even more people who heard a child crying and reported it. If your relative works at the O.C. maybe she could tell you how many people have mentioned or complained about a child being left alone crying to the staff there.
As for the reason that the O.C. offered the McCann’s a free babysitter. I have already explained what I overheard some of the staff discussing and the ‘why’ is in my post. If there was another reason, I certainly don’t know anything about it.
I was merely relaying to posters what I had seen while we were on holiday and that is not anything to do with any statement given to the P.J.
What I have written is common knowledge to many people who live in PDL and those who were on holiday there at the time and it’s certainly not a state secret. Quite probably a great deal of the public may have heard about it through the media for all I know so I am giving no secrets away.
If you are so sure that you are right and I am wrong, that is entirely up to you to decide. I am not trying to impress you or anyone on here with what I say or think.
If you have a relative in Luz, then perhaps she can give you more information of what happened that night as I was only on holiday to enjoy myself with my family and not there to play detective.
As for ‘keeping it under my hat’. It is my choice what I write on here, not yours! But thanks for the advice as I’m sure you were only trying to be helpful.”
March 15th, 2008 at 10:40 pm
Denzylle
As i posted before ,what i really want is that people be aware ,that the Police has much more witnesses then we see on the tabloids.
I very rarely read 3 A
But just stumbled on that 1 ,and JO asked for the link
I said, and i say ,on the net everything is possible
March 15th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
407
Denzylle
Sorry didn’t had time to
see that post
March 15th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
CSN
404
I have serious misgivings about 3As. I have only ever read occasionally, never followed, never posted.
And I really dislike how one or more posters on Anorak always feel the need to bring us the key highlights of that day’s 3As, as if it’s all gospel.
Vera’s comment originates in Brunt’s blog on Sky News. (Thanks, Ian).
March 15th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
406
âde
Felicia Cabrita ,is 1 of the very few repoters that i trust
I know ,she has being working very hard on this case ,not only for SOL
We can trust her
March 15th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
406
âde
That’s it!
Thanks Âde
I’m always in a rush
March 15th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
Marie Nicholas
374
Very disturbing, and also interesting.
CSN
Vera’s account.
As I said yesterday on first reading it, I was astonished at GM’s five(!) versions of what he saw and also that, on three of them, MM was not in her bed.
But, it’s not the fact that he didn’t investigate further that arouses my suspicions, it’s the fact that there are five versions of the story!
March 15th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
323 can’t say no
this is it…
When contacted by Portuguese newspaper, Sol, David Payne said: “We have a pact. This is our matter only. It is nobody else’s business.”
Minutes after trying to contact Kate, Gerry, in a fury, called the Sol journalist: “What do you think you are doing? Do you think you’re better than the Portuguese police? I’m going to forward your contact to PJ and you will have to explain yourselves.”
http://www.mccannfiles.com/id18.html
March 15th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
I know for sure
That they had 1 speach for the Portuguese Media ,and then we saw the opposite given to the Brits Media gave by them
Too many lies
March 15th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
401
Denzylle
I don’t have time to be lurking at 3 A ,so i don’t know who’s who ,the stories ..
But there are things i also saw and others are rubbish
Is difult, to someone that hasn’t been here at that time to cut the rubish ,or even we
March 15th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
In the first interview he said that he saw Madeleine asleep.
In the second interview he said that she was not in bed and had probably gone into their room as the twins might have disturbed her (these are the same twins that never wake up at night, just as Madeleine, according to her parents, never wakes up at night).
In the third interview, Gerry said that he didn’t see Madeleine and he thought that she might have got up to go to the toilet. He didn’t check though.
In the fourth interview Gerry said that he didn’t see her because she had probably got up for a drink of water. Again he didn’t check this out.
In another interview with the magazine Vanity Fair, he said that he saw Madeleine in her bed and stood there looking at her and thinking how very lucky he was to have such a beautiful daughter.
******
What to think?
How can anybody can possibly NOT see what they are up to?
I believe the the PJ will reveal the truth -may be not charged them -….or may be not just yet but they will eventually
The mcTeam cant foresee a very bright future ahead.
They all need a good defense
March 15th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
also at Sagres on their first night me thinks
March 15th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
397
This is Vera from Essex, whose account Ian posted yesterday.
Very credible, and also discreet, in my view.
March 15th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
All the people on holiday gave statements to the police and anything that was said to the PJ has to stay known only to them until they wish it to be made known to the public or not, so I can’t tell anyone about that either.
__________
That is for sure ,some people think ,that only the ones that apear on the tabloids were there
March 15th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Julie
383
You don’t know what you’re missing!
Haggis is wonderful (despite the fact that I’m almost a veggie otherwise).
March 15th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
yes at Chaplins
i agree
March 15th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
http://the3arguidos.net/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=6161
Scroll ,and you see more stuff
March 15th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
Scarlett.
But the most devastating turnaround has come from Father Jose, the Roman Catholic priest whom the couple turned to in their hour of need.
Friends fear for the priest’s health and tell how his life has been ruined after he offered the couple solace.
Father Jose, 46, came under police scrutiny after he gave the couple the keys to his church so they could pray round the clock.
He was questioned twice by detectives, and the church and its grounds were searched by police as they followed up leads into possible hiding places for Madeleine’s body.
Investigators became convinced Kate had confessed to him – but the tormented priest insisted he would stand by his vow to take the secrets of the confessional to the grave.
He was given a dressing-down by his superior, Algarve Bishop Manuel Quintas, and allegedly tried to shift the focus on to worshippers who had advised him to provide the McCanns with all the help he could.
March 15th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
394
can’t say no
Do you have a link for this?
Thank you
March 15th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
From another person
Not me
The McCann’s were at Chaplin’s. I do know that for sure because me, my daughter and granddaughter were there at the time. I didn’t see the McCann’s being asked to return to see to their child because we left fairly early as my granddaughter was tired.
I did overhear some of the MW staff talking about this fact the next morning who were chatting amongst themselves as I was in the reception area waiting for my daughter and granddaughter to meet me there, that was the same day that Madeleine went missing.
Their opinion of the parents attitude of leaving their children alone each night wasn’t exactly flattering and according to them, that’s why MW’s offered them a babysitter for free for the night of the 3rd of May. I don’t deliberately listen to other people’s conversations but if you are standing round waiting for someone you can’t block out what you hear people talking about.
I also overheard a woman telling the police on one of the following days about a child was crying for a long time as I was standing fairly close by, but I didn’t know that she was talking about Madeleine at the time.
I also saw Robert Murat helping with the translations. I didn’t know his name at the time and only discovered it when I read it in the newspaper. I can’t say I took any more notice of him than any other person that was around.
As I said before, Murat and David Payne are amazingly alike and anyone could easily be confused as to which person any witnesses did see walking around the area on the night of the 3rd of May. I wouldn’t have noticed either of them except that they were standing near to each other and would probably have just thought that they were brothers or something but that is all that registered with me at the time.
The McCann’s were the one’s that people noticed as it was their child that was missing.
I don’t know what happened to Madeleine but I’m sure it will eventually come out in the ‘wash’ when the PJ get answers to their questions. They could all be guilty or innocent as far as I know.
Their avoidance of answering some questions directed at them at interviews makes me wonder what they and their friends might be hiding though. But that would only be my personal opinion of them.
I have seen and heard every single live interview (I don’t take any notice of what the papers print) that they have given and have noticed that their version of what happened that night has changed with each interview especially Gerry’s version of events of when he checked up on the children.
In the first interview he said that he saw Madeleine asleep.
In the second interview he said that she was not in bed and had probably gone into their room as the twins might have disturbed her (these are the same twins that never wake up at night, just as Madeleine, according to her parents, never wakes up at night).
In the third interview, Gerry said that he didn’t see Madeleine and he thought that she might have got up to go to the toilet. He didn’t check though.
In the fourth interview Gerry said that he didn’t see her because she had probably got up for a drink of water. Again he didn’t check this out.
In another interview with the magazine Vanity Fair, he said that he saw Madeleine in her bed and stood there looking at her and thinking how very lucky he was to have such a beautiful daughter.
This was not a live interview, but I found the complete transcript of the interview on the VF website and every sigh or hesitation in replying was written down.
I saw the McCann’s before and after Madeleine’s disappearance as did other people who were on holiday. I didn’t really take any notice of their behaviour beforehand as they were just people on holiday. I’ll keep my opinion of them to myself as to their behaviour afterwards. The only thing I can say is that they seemed upset on the night when they gave their first interview (I only saw that on the news) but as for how they acted after that, I will leave you to come to your own conclusions. If you have seen them on the t.v. you can take a guess as to what I think.
All the people on holiday gave statements to the police and anything that was said to the PJ has to stay known only to them until they wish it to be made known to the public or not, so I can’t tell anyone about that either.
March 15th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
Very interesting article.I havent read/digested it totally yet
http://cuttingthroughtherubbish.blogspot.com/2008/03/mccanns-are-lying.html
March 15th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
390
Denzylle
If you can’t get it, that’s no’ ma prob luv! …scrambing aboot for scraps at the table..
Think you get it now though….
The offer for the meeting is still valid.. Can I suggest exfoilater (ok I admit, I might have a problem with the spelling of that one)
March 15th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
crucified mccanns emotional state
http://bp3.blogger.com/_3HAnFzHSqqE/R3O7KsAcpqI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/eySXEpxLMRk/s1600-h/alexitimia_mccann.jpg
March 15th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
SpongeBobbitt
I think your post of 324 was too subtle to win the Highland Games of Satire and Irony.
I think my caber was far bigger than your wee, wee bobbitt.
Perhaps DuncanR, our Scottish Brummie, can mediate.
March 15th, 2008 at 10:02 pm
Yeh that’s right it’s a satire site and a warning to everyone is - if you take yourself too seriously you will end up like…………………………………………….. fill in the blank.
March 15th, 2008 at 10:01 pm
Gandolf
Okay I get it now…I think.
How is the Padre these days?
March 15th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
381
Denzylle
again to spell it out…
See post
324
…Bearing in mind that this site is supposed to be about satire and irony