How The Madeleine McCann Story Was Hijacked By Web Trolls
FROM the Anorak Forums - by AGW:
One of the most bizarre and troubling aspects of of the Madeleine McCann story has been the way the coverage of the story has itself become the story.
Anorak is not a site which has ever been (or ever will be) dedicated to the alleged crimes of abduction and subsequent claim and counter-claim of deeper, darker deeds involving in turn a resident Englishman in the Portuguese holiday complex where the McCann family had been staying and then the parents and their friends themselves.
Right at the beginning of all this I had predicted it was a complex story which would run and run. I confess to being bemused by the the tale’s longevity. The Madeline McCann story has become Dianaeque in its telling and re-telling, worse it is on a par with the empty and drifting ship the Mary Celeste.
The story of a photogenic, pretty little white girl from a professional and middle-class background was sure to attract attention.
I had always expressed serious doubts about the wisdom of the parents’ determination to avoid clear police advice and follow their own route to infamy…because that it what it has become.
The story divided neatly pro and anti. Not pro and anti the hunt for a little girl or her remains but pro and anti the parents. It has become a love-hate story. Every day in Anorak there are those who praise or condemn, support or vilify.
Professional journalists have watched with increasing bemusement, bordering on horror, at the activities of sites created and devoted exclusively to the Madeleine McCann story. They have risen, flowered and been cut down. The same individuals, only the names have been changed to protect the guilty, have in their turn raged or praised as each site flourished and then fell by the wayside.
The same experts and lost souls appeared again and again, and yet again, during the brief existence of these sites. Sometimes only the keystrokes or style and use of phrases and words revealed their true identity. They took full advantage and became legends in their own lunch-times, master spies, superheroes CyberMan or DigiWoman each using the Internet’s basic anonymity to change gender, location and re-invent themselves as brilliantly clear thinkers, defenders of the faith and public morale and morals or, very sad solicitors posing as desperate housewives.
The 3 Arguidos site is probably the strongest of the allegedly Madeleine McCann dedicated sites. I have no access to it nor seek any since it regularly appears to be an outrageous vipers nest of sad people, many of whom have had brief cyber-existences here. It has attracted an interesting group of supporters and helpers and we should genuinely wish them well. They are the Jerry Springer end of the coverage.
The McCann story can not sustain sites like this and they have to diversify. Recruitment from sites such as ours is one way of doing it.
The Moderators here at Anorak have noted a recent surge of activity as the once-again revamped team at the 3As have become our new friends. Avid letter writers to Anorak and when gently challenged, retreat to vent their spleen within their own site. We had such an incursion yesterday.
We are aware the 3As site has suffered dreadful problems lately and we sympathise but do have our own course to run.
There is always a suspicion, often borne out by later scurrilous attacks, the new best friends have their own agenda. That’s fine we all do…and I do not intend to give the 3As site any further creditability by association with us.
It is worth passing on one of the alleged solicitor types in there tried to publish our editor’s telephone number. Why? It is freely available on this site and he is more than well-equipped to be happily entertained by the odd moronic or dirty phone call.
We remain secure in the knowledge of many things but among them are:
Anorak is the leading site of its genre
It has the most experienced and competent team of Moderators
Its writers are skilled and entertaining
It is growing and constantly evolving which is a healthy thing
It is often not a comfortable place to be but remains vibrant and exciting
Imitation and jealous rages remain the sincerest forms of flattery.
…and the headline to this piece? It is often forgotten that the very next line in that quotation is:
“You ought to be ashamed of yourself”
Posted: 30th, June 2008 | In: Anorak Says, Madeleine McCann Comments (626) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
Comments
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June 30th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
I think he should have used alleged instead of potential, but think of the potential a sighting could have
June 30th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
352
Châtelaine Says:
June 30th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
‘Let me try again: “several potential sightings” are sightings which have the potential of being sightings… Am I getting there?’
potentally.
June 30th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
Let me try again: “several potential sightings” are sightings which have the potential of being sightings… Am I getting there?
June 30th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
Thank you Sam
June 30th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
Amarals retired today!!!
I wonder if hes gone to mass ??????? :-O
June 30th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
I applaud everything you say regarding that website! I have been there and wont go back. The people are only out to humor themselves!! Its a site full of sad little poeple who have nothing more to do than down and belittle a family who is missing a child. They are clearly not out for maddies intrest, but rather using it as play toy! SAD I find nothing credible, just all rumor there…..
June 30th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
pmsl
June 30th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
I dont remember that one sam
June 30th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
a belated happy birthday julie
June 30th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
Yes thanks BF - best one in years …. this morning wasn’t too good though
June 30th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
hope you had a good oe julie x
June 30th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
325
jo Says:
June 30th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
322
Daphne Diablo
FREEDOM,heard of it ?freedom to say and belong and the whole lot…..? rings a bell?
Anorak has been apparently trashed in 3As…ok…is it the reason for us anorakian to do the same with 3As?
I dont think so…..
_____
Pardon?
June 30th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
334
brandon flours Says:
June 30th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
‘it was on the bright side of life youtube video’
http://tinyurl.com/4egop9
i looked, i didn’t see it ?
June 30th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
#
319
blondie Says:
June 30th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Hi Brandon Hi Lovemedo
Who is that Gandolph character? He ’s a bit gobby isn’t he??
I am also from that forum which shall remain name less!!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Not as gobby as the imaginary priest and Robert, who was pulling the strings or are you the puppet of bjr.
June 30th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
MARIE. Are you sure you really want to go to Paris at this time of the year?
It’s very warm here [warmer than in the Midi] but there’s lots of fresh AIR
June 30th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Ok, manners time
Thank you kindly to all who wished me well for my birthday yesterday. I really appreciate all your wishes.
I would genuinly, honestly, truly have popped in last night to thank you but
I over-celebrated a bit 
June 30th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
#
337
Châtelaine Says:
June 30th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Can someone explain to me what a “POTENTIAL” sighting is…?
——————————————
A gap in the spin machines next move?
June 30th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
JO, whether or not Charlotte Pennington is doing a “Tanner”, it IS a very interesting new angle to that evening!
June 30th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Can someone explain to me what a “POTENTIAL” sighting is…?
June 30th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
301
jo Says:
June 30th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
McCanns boosted by fresh leads, 29 June 2008
McCanns boosted by fresh leads Sunday Star (No online link, appears in paper version only)
“Kate and Gerry Mccann have been boosted by a series of fresh leads in the hunt for missing daughter Madeleine.
They have been told of ’several’ potential new sightings of the five year old, who vanished without trace while on holiday in Portugal in May 07.
_____________________________
I gotta ask - exactly what’s been boosted here - a few dollars more?
C’mon we’re not living in a fantasy world here! How many “accurate” sightings could there possibly be almost 14 months after she went missing? Apart from the fact that I simply do not believe in the abduction line (IMO), Madeleine would have changed so much in these 14 months, if she were still alive, which sadly, I don’t believe she is. Going from a child who was almost 4, to a possibly now 5 year old her features would have changed dramatically. For someone who never knew her, but had only seen her photos, there’s not much chance that the children who are being “sighted” could possibly be Madeleine.
As for those darn parents …. they seem to be attracted to the media like magnets (I was going to be more expressive, but I’ll behave for the moment). They simply KNOW that just a whisper from the Pinkness, and there’s still a lot of media that will grab the chance for yet ANOTHER story on the McCann’s. This whole sad saga is sadly not about Madeleine, but about how much media attention her parents can grab for their own ends!
I for one often hope that this whole sad story could be like a fairytale with a happy ending, but I think the only ending we can pray for now is that there is true Justice for Madeleine.
June 30th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
:ooh: Brandon
didn’t realise it was photoshopped, I did ask about it a long long time ago but never got anywhere - so maybe you’re right
June 30th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
I thought it was photoshopped
it was on the bright side of life youtube video
June 30th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
331
Noseycow Says:
June 30th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
Sam - her smile is bigger in the one where she’s holding the cheque
am hoping Jo will be able to find it..
nosey, i don’t know what picture that is, yes would be good if jo finds it.
June 30th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
I wonder if they have ever had their common sense levels tested ?
June 30th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
Sam - her smile is bigger in the one where she’s holding the cheque
am hoping Jo will be able to find it..
June 30th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
313
jo Says:
the picture link jo ? i do not understand how they can be standing there holding that t-shirt with such big smiles. i simply do not understand it. but kate’s smile doesn’t look that happy. so i don’t know what to think really.
June 30th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
blondie
Gandolph is allowed to vent of his anger on here, we hope it saves his cat getting kicked.
June 30th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Jo
anychance you could find the same picture but with them holding a national lottery cheque made out to kate for £1 million?
I saw it on a video an age ago and am buggered if I can find it again.
June 30th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Maybe we are not quite sure what we are allowed to do anymore
June 30th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Noseycow
It is the mcannfiles. It is easy to come back to Anorak by clicking on the arrow towrds the left, on top left of the screen.
Some answers to the questions about where the nanny was will be brought by the PJ I hope.