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 10:02 pm
470 clouseau
Nuffink rong wif stayt educasion
June 30th, 2008 at 10:01 pm
465
Fair
Hi Fair
I guess in that case you’ve missed that post that showed up and disappeared in a flash too?
And has snybody still got the raccoon/squirrel/skunky character?
June 30th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
466 val Says:
” Who”s Paul Butterfield,”
Do you know Young Chicken Hunter?
June 30th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
I”m going to watch this new Drama, catch you all later.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
hi ciara
we got lost the other night! Hows your hols?
June 30th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
lol
i went to a comprehensiv
June 30th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
462 val Says:
” 457 Ferdinand
Oops, sorry….you must have been disappointed, to come so far and lose by one goal
is frustrating I would imagine. ”
Never mind. It was “my” 12th EC/WC final. The score is still 5-7
June 30th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
463
wtf
Good evening. Glad to see you.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
hi clousea
is it safe for me to come on? Seeing i have low level debating skills
June 30th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
461 Ferdinand
Isn” TV1 the television station that showed the “Mummy, why didn”t you come when
I cried” report…..can”t remember the Reporter”s name. Who”s Paul Butterfield, was this a T. V. Debate?
June 30th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
Well done Murray! Sorry to be off topic
Hi Totje, didn’t see you sneaking in there
Was too engrosed in the tennis!
June 30th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
463
evening wtf
June 30th, 2008 at 9:54 pm
evening all
June 30th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
457 Ferdinand
Oops, sorry….you must have been disappointed, to come so far and lose by one goal
is frustrating I would imagine.
Jo”s gone, what RTP, anything to do with the McCann”s? It will be interesting next
Monday when their case goes to the Family Division of the High Court. I think it will be
refused, quite right too. Metodo 3 have been paid £500,000 to date without a result,
so what do the McCann”s think a few more names on the Police Files will achieve.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
Very nice Google translation from TVI:
“Source linked to the investigation said the TVI that researchers failed to reach any conclusion about what in fact happened to Maddie. That is, the team led by coordinator Paul Butterfield was unable to ascertain whether this was a case of kidnapping or murder.
The most likely is that the process will even be filed and that the three defendants, Robert Murat McCann and the couple are not charged with any crime. Still, the case could be reopened if new evidence now emerging. “
June 30th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
hey that’s weird….
June 30th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
jo:
Have you heard the latest rumour about a RTP report?
June 30th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
Val,
I would describe merlot as a sort of soft, fruity easy drinking red. Not too sweet but pleasant.
I like Echo Falls or Blossom Hill Merlot. All my wines on here are virtual ones apart from at the weekend.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
456 val Says:
” 454 Ferdinand
Are you Spanish? If so, congratulations!!!!!!!!!!! I thought you werePortugese, don”t
know why. ”
Actually I’m German.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
454 Ferdinand
Are you Spanish? If so, congratulations!!!!!!!!!!! I thought you werePortugese, don”t
know why.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
449 Fair
Murray”s on a roll now and will win, but I don”t think he will go much further in the
Competition. Tim Henman had years to prove his ability and adoring fans to
encourage his every game, but never made it to Champion. I think Fred Perry in the
year dot was the last British Men”s Champion.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
443 jo Says:
” Ferdinand
:lol: ”
Thanks for the congrats!
Era tiempo/ It was time
Indeed.
And justified.
Unfortunately, the video doesn’t seem to play for me. Maybe only works for Spanish IPs. However, we had a nice celebration last wednesday in the town centre, together with the Turks, that is more than enough for this year.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
450 Totje
Hello, how are you? Don”t think Julie is here, I e-mailed her a greeting yesterday
but the Mail Administrator was unable to deliver. That”s a great greeting, be a shame
if she doesn”t see it. I have her e-mail address so will save your greeting and try
to e-mail her tomorrow if you want.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
evening all
have i missed anything today
June 30th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
437 jo
If you mean the night Madeleine went missing Charlotte went to 5a when she heard
Kate screaming. I think most of the OC staff left at the end of the season and I
thought Charlotte went home to her family in the U.K.. I think she went abroad, but that”s all I know. Her statement would have been made in PDL. Did you know she knew
the McCanns in New Zealand? Apparently she was doing a bit of acting there.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
Sorry I forgot….
Happy belated birthday Julie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Xea1OfMYdM
June 30th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
444 Val
Dunno I’m afraid, not seen much / enough.
Murray seems to be on a roll now. Can it last? Not just today but….
June 30th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Freedom of speech doesn’t worry me, as long as we know where to draw the line [eg insulting/hurting other people/religions/whatever].
BUT what DOES worry me that this new “way of communication by blogs/forums” attracks all kinds of people and some are not very scupulous. They invent stories, they like it to wind up other people etc. Remember the story about the girl that committed suicide because someone posted malicious things about her [Cheryl told us a while ago]?
And I wonder how I’d feel if one of the posters on a [dark] site would loose his/her common sense and indeed committed a crime against the McC’s?
I also wonder if I’d change my mind about the police/fbi/cia/whatever being able to monitor the internet/emails etc. of “normal” and “innocent” posters.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:09 pm
Night all
Be good
June 30th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
441
val
Good idea…I”ll help you with your “book about a book” if you want
I was with friends last night and they went out I could not coz I am working rather early at the moment but it was a fantastic moment and a very very good game …44 years later
I will be off to bed very soon tonight as well