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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July 1st, 2008 at 8:51 am
Sorry, that’s the correct headline:
“Police ‘Drop Madeleine Case’ - Portuguese detectives have dropped the Madeleine McCann case due to lack of evidence, according to media reports in Portugal.”
July 1st, 2008 at 8:49 am
Sky News reports: “Police ‘Drop McCann Case”
July 1st, 2008 at 8:09 am
Marv honey, what gives people the right to judge them, and on nothing more than innuendo. Let him/her amongst you cast the first stone……..people are more interested than doing the McCanns, rather than Madeleine or justice.
July 1st, 2008 at 6:41 am
Interesting article in the Jornal de Noticas. It seems that the investigation is long over, but there is still a high court decision pending about the admissibility of the photocopies of Kate’s diary as evidence - which is however of no importance for the outcome of the investigation, merely a decision of general principle.
This would explain the delay, and also why so many people “in the know” (politicians, Express) were so long so confident that there are no charges to be expected.
July 1st, 2008 at 5:55 am
I just want to be sure that the fella who goes by the initials, “agw” was referring here to me or at least my fellow American bloggers, as the “very sad solicitors posing as Desperate Housewives”. As to what he suggests we are “soliciting” - well, darned if I know - you have got me there (scratches head….fleas take flight..)
July 1st, 2008 at 5:07 am
I enjoyed Tabloid Baby - although how does anyone remember what people actually said and where they were when they said it????
Sarah Miles put the same conversation with Larry O in 2 of her biographies (different times, different places - exact same words!).
July 1st, 2008 at 4:01 am
VQ
I think she was joking????
July 1st, 2008 at 3:31 am
Coco, do you ever sleep?
Some kind of alien are you?
July 1st, 2008 at 3:29 am
556 coco Says:
I love and adore Bush - who is not as daft as he comes across.
–
0h, puke
July 1st, 2008 at 3:07 am
Karen hun ….. You are right about Mr. Bush saying that we must not believe in the conspiracy theories and that anybody who talks about conspiracy theories is whacky etc.
I love and adore Bush - who is not as daft as he comes across.
Like all Presidents he is related to the Queen of England but much much brighter!
This is why we know poor Barack Obama will never be President - it goes against the Founding Fathers and he ain’t related to them …….
July 1st, 2008 at 3:04 am
Maravilha …… CM’s previous life was ‘monitoring the media’.
Don’t believe his own press about him offering to help due to the huge story surrounding the poor child.
That’s bollocks wrapped in tripe.
CM’s job is to be like a sheep-dog herding all sheep into a pen.
He is a media manipulator though.
If some silly arse-hole of a bloke talks bollocks and humphs and pahs and tells us it’s only stupid people who are against the Clan - all the stupid people say, ‘Yeah! Right! We’re not fucking stupid enough to believe that lovely people like the Clan could be involved in anything sinister ………
July 1st, 2008 at 3:00 am
Coco
Was it really Hitler. One of the Bush presidents definitely used it in a speech. Still, they would wouldn’t they?
July 1st, 2008 at 2:56 am
Doctors are an organising principle in a liberal society - anything you don’t like or need to control is classed as a disease and treated so you don’t have to denounce it as ungodly like we did in the olden days.
July 1st, 2008 at 2:55 am
Karen. It was Herr Hitler.
Maravilha ……… Of course the media will not fight the Clan - they are all Establishmentarians and some animals are more equal than others.
July 1st, 2008 at 2:50 am
Or was it his Dad?????
July 1st, 2008 at 2:50 am
Lordy, I bet George W regrets coining the phrase New World Order.
July 1st, 2008 at 2:48 am
I am only just beginning to understand the New World Order.
Doctors will be at the forefront of giving us anti-depressants to keep any educated middle-classes from asking too many questions.
Doctors will be on the committees that decide it’s OK to live next to electicity pylons and telephone masts that track our every movement - even when our phones are off.
Doctors will decide which waters will be fluoridated to slowly poison all but the fittest - ie the working-classes and sub-working-classes - who will be herded into new communities to do the work.
The middle-classes will be drugged into submission and gradually become non-child-bearing - just as we can see they are slowly starting to do now -without pressure.
Children will be encouraged into State-run creches and parents forced to work.
Fit active women will be encouraged to freeze their eggs and enjoy a career.
Doctors will decide which steroids work best in the human skeleton and muscles to get the most work out of them without having to eat a balanced nutritious diet.
Doctors will be the people that tell us it’s safe to eat genetically modified crops that have unstable nutrition.
They will tell us that we can trust them because they are doctors.
Doctors are the tool that the New World Order will use as a tool. They are in the community, living amongst us and are answerable to Government. They are no longer doctors - they are Government.
Has anybody noticed how easy it is to get a Doctorate these days?
Whereas one usually needs four grade A’s at one sitting to do a medicine degree.
And when a tool has been used and used …… it will be replaced by a more sohisticated tool.
July 1st, 2008 at 2:36 am
If Justice closes the process, even for anot very long time (let us hope), I ask myself what the British media will do next.
Media need always an “enemy” to fight against and up till now they have had the Portuguese police.
Will their next target be the McCanns themselves?
Without the PJ fighting for justice for Madeleine, will the British media take their place?
Madeleine diserves it.
July 1st, 2008 at 2:30 am
Why would the police spend 11 hours or so interviewing Madeleine’s mummy and more than four hours interviewing a lovely, dark-haired beauty who wants to be an actress?
Why would it take more than four hours? Why?
July 1st, 2008 at 2:25 am
I agree that eye-witnesses are sometimes useless - however CP has remarkable powers of observation unlike anything we have ever known.
Especially after a hard day’s graft! lol
I am wondering if she would be a compliant witness for the police or would they have to drag her before the Court. lol
July 1st, 2008 at 2:21 am
Karen …… It’s not evil to voice your judgement of the situation.
And Hell is just somewhere that people like my maternal Grandmother’s family used to threaten me with to make us do as we are told.
There’s no such place as Hell - unless you have been to a place called Oldham in Lancashire! lol
July 1st, 2008 at 2:20 am
Coco
Eye witnesses are notoriously unreliable - but it’s even worse when they know that their story is one that a lot of people want to hear.
It’s not that anyone would necessarily consciously lie - but it would be hard not to start elaborating to create some drama.
July 1st, 2008 at 2:18 am
CARMEN …….. Are we witnessing the emergence of the New World Order already? Is it beginning in sleepy towns like PDL.
Are any Clan members related to the Founding Fathers of the US or our Royal Family? They know every fucker else! lol
July 1st, 2008 at 2:16 am
Coco
I know it’s the height of evil and I should burn in eternal social hell - but I can’t help but feel that Kate and Gerry must be involved or else I don’t understand the whole unlocked door/not searching/lying/massive and bizarre publicity campaign… and all the rest.
July 1st, 2008 at 2:14 am
It was reported that she had reported seeing somebody in a high-visibility jacket messing about with a possibly child-sized bundle down by the beach but she must have the eye-sight of a bloody owl. lol.
But then how could she have seen RM loitering and KMc screaming and twins not being in the room and somebody shouting a name that sounded like Maddie which couldn’t have been Maddie because Maddie was never called Maddie by Mummy and Daddy!
July 1st, 2008 at 2:10 am
Hi Karen!
I don’t think so!
July 1st, 2008 at 2:09 am
Thanks to Jo I am aware that an ordinary human could walk down to the beach in 5 minutes. So basically - a fit grown-up could run like fuck back up the hill in maybe 2 or 3 minutes???
A whiff of death was detected by dogs in the direction of the beach -and a guy flown in from South Africa or wherever the fuck he came from reckoned that the beach was where he was drawn to with his bizarre divination method.
July 1st, 2008 at 2:05 am
Coco
Did Charlotte see an abductor?
I don’t believe anyone saw anyone - abductor or phantom MM.
July 1st, 2008 at 2:02 am
Bollocks and tripe have been on the menu for too long now.
July 1st, 2008 at 1:59 am
Hi Guys!
I think that we are looking at a load of bollocks tightly wrapped in tripe and gently poached or steamed this week.
The apple-cheeked Charlotte is appearing half-baked to me. - I don’t know about anybody else but I find it peculiar that her statement took four and a half hours to take down.
No cheap comments please with regard to anything else being taken down