Madeleine McCann: Clarence Mitchell For Hire, Richard Desmond And The Guardian Repeats
MADDIE WATCH - Anorak’s at-a-glance guide to press coverage of Madeleine McCann
DAILY TELEGRAPH: “McCann’s spokesman Clarence Mitchell ponders PR move
As Kate and Gerry McCann return from their first family holiday since their daughter Madeleine disappeared 14 months ago, their spokesman Clarence Mitchell is in talks to join a PR agency where he plans to help other parents who have lost children to deal with the media.
Such is the news of the McCann case that the internet traffic-hungry Telegraph is looking at Clarence Mitchell’s career options. An interviwer might ask him what good has come of all the PR and media handling, and point out that not every missing child is the the blonde, photgenic progency of middle-class doctors and thus not deemed to be as newsworthy.
Says Mitchell, the McCanns’ spokesman:
“I’m happy to help anyone in the eye of a media storm, but I need to put myself on a firm financial footing. I should stress, however, that there’s absolutely no question of me abandoning Kate and Gerry McCann.”
Working for the McCanns is a job, and it pays. But when will it end?
THE GUARDIAN: “Fakery fallout hits TV sector”
Deception rows caused several top television figures to slide down the top 100. It’s the MediaGuardian 100, an arbitrary league table of TV shows and staff.
The newspaper sector accounts for three of the top 10 fallers - two editors and a proprietor. Richard Desmond is the second biggest faller, down 20 places to 55, after his newspapers had to make unprecedented front-page apologies and pay £550,000 in damages to the family of Madeleine McCann.
And the Guardian loves to write about Desmond:
55. Richard Desmond
In March, Richard Desmond’s Express Newspapers titles ran unprecedented apologies and paid £550,000 in damages over stories they had run about the family of Madeleine McCann….
It was another blow to the credibility of the papers, credibility that has suffered ever since Desmond bought them in 2000…
Under-resourced and undermined by the McCann apology, Desmond’s newspaper group also saw the first 24-hour national newspaper strike for 18 years in a dispute about pay and outsourcing.
Desmond is Fleet Street’s least-loved proprietor, but as the Observer’s Peter Preston memorably put it: “No one likes him, though (in common with Millwall FC) he doesn’t seem to care.”
No.78 is Peter Wright, editor of the Mail on Sunday.
If Wright is occasionally a controversial figure, then he gained extra credibility this year when he joined the Press Complaints Commission after the Daily Express editor, Peter Hill, stepped down in the wake of Express Newspapers’ £550,000 damages payout to the family of Madeleine McCann.
James Murdoch takes the top spot from his father as other City players suffer a tough year
Richard Desmond, the owner of Express Newspapers, has also had a mixed year, paying out £550,000 in damages to Gerry and Kate McCann for a string of inaccurate articles about their daughter Madeleine’s disappearance, and taking the unprecedented step of publishing front-page apologies in all four Express and Star national titles.
Is the Guardian obsessed with Richard Desmond?
Posted: 14th, July 2008 | In: Broadsheets, Madeleine McCann Comments (620) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
Comments
July 14th, 2008 at 11:33 am
100
Noseycow Says:
July 14th, 2008 at 11:29 am e
I am really an ‘ex’ royal with a booming US career and a soft spot for Hull!!!
****************
Aha, you too - see Fergie and I have something in common now - we were both handed the keys to a Bentley yesterday.
(Bet hers wasn’t broken down outside her back gate though, bet it went broom, broom, all on it’s own…….)
July 14th, 2008 at 11:32 am
95
Carmen
For ONCE I am trying to be nice…I feel I have miserably failed
Anyhow,I really do not think this thread is about Cheryl and I do not think it is nice to slagg her off when she is not around
Have a good day
July 14th, 2008 at 11:32 am
Oops, just looked out and there are some people walking along Sarfend Pier wearing ‘Kiss me quick’ hats, eating candyfloss and talking.
And they are not George Cole and Dennis Waterman.
OOOh and armed spookie types around……
July 14th, 2008 at 11:32 am
anyway we discuss the McC’s and the pink one on a daily basis - or are they lurking too??
July 14th, 2008 at 11:32 am
Ade, there’s a shop in Colchester, jacks, that sell loads of foreign forces leftovers. Obsolete German army shoes, knives, israeli entrenching shovel type things, tents, even white tents for the arctic, watches, zippo lighters. etc etc Mr C&C has spent many a happy hour in there while I had a snooze in Starbucks. Everything costs peanuts and most of it ends up in his shed!
July 14th, 2008 at 11:32 am
“Cheryl Says:
“. . .. As you know, C&C, I worked 7 years hand in hand with the former director of the highest spook agency in the US and he taught me well . . ” ”
________________________
Sure she wasn’t talking about GhostBusters ?
July 14th, 2008 at 11:30 am
Cool
Cheryl can’t drop a bombshell like that and expect us NOT to talk about it???
July 14th, 2008 at 11:30 am
99
coolandcalm Says:
July 14th, 2008 at 11:27 am e
Not too many days ago Garth and Gandolf were warned off talking about LP behind his back…. its was said to be unfair when the poster isn’t present to stick up for himself.
is it fair to go on and on about Cheryl when she’s not here? and for mods to join in?
Just a thought….
************************
How do you know who’s here and who isn’t?
Secret intelligence source?
July 14th, 2008 at 11:30 am
I’m not, I am a good girl
July 14th, 2008 at 11:29 am
Karen
you need to take lessons from Cheryl (or her ex hand in hand partner) about not giving too much information away on forums.
(from one who has shared ber blooming life story
which is all a cover btw, as I am really an ‘ex’ royal with a booming US career and a soft spot for Hull!!!)
July 14th, 2008 at 11:27 am
Not too many days ago Garth and Gandolf were warned off talking about LP behind his back…. its was said to be unfair when the poster isn’t present to stick up for himself.
is it fair to go on and on about Cheryl when she’s not here? and for mods to join in?
Just a thought….
July 14th, 2008 at 11:26 am
ade - Behave
I am getting seriousley worrieed about your unhealthy obsession with the pink one and his shirts…
July 14th, 2008 at 11:25 am
i wonder if he who is known as comical buys his pink shirts in mossads’s…
found it:
http://tinyurl.com/5n2fx5
sale price only 8 quid
just the job for someone out of work
July 14th, 2008 at 11:24 am
Julie
Be nice!!
It was the funniest thread for a long time…
July 14th, 2008 at 11:23 am
84
jo Says:
July 14th, 2008 at 11:15 am e
82
Matt
To Cheryl”s credit,she never said she was a secret agent but worked for somebody involved in intelligence.Rather different.Lest be fair
*********************
‘Involved ‘ Jo?
I think the Director of the highest spook agency in the US is a little more than involved in intelligence.!
And passing this information on to a little old social worker in deepest Essex……..these are matters of the highest security.
And surely a first for Anorak.
Cheryl Says:
“. . .. As you know, C&C, I worked 7 years hand in hand with the former director of the highest spook agency in the US and he taught me well . . ”
July 14th, 2008 at 11:23 am
cool
Do you not think eddie and keela are cute?
July 14th, 2008 at 11:23 am
Noseycow
So far I have fielded calls from the Farmer’s Union, the local college, the Catholic Media Office and a guy who told me that his neighbour attacked him with a wheelie bin. At least the door’s locked and neds can’t get in.
July 14th, 2008 at 11:22 am
84
jo Says:
July 14th, 2008 at 11:15 am
82
Matt
To Cheryl”s credit,she never said she was a secret agent but worked for somebody involved in intelligence.
_______________________
INTELLIGENCE? She mentioned the word INTELLIGENCE? Well, I never ….. blow me down with a feather
July 14th, 2008 at 11:20 am
85…Carmen
Dammitt. All these new books becoming available.
More work for me.
New Bookcase needing assembly.
July 14th, 2008 at 11:20 am
BF…. a friend of mine is a police dog handler. It’s just the ordinary police dog though it has been stabbed once by a druggie. It’s gorgeous…. I’ve never seen it working but as a pet it’s a cutie.
July 14th, 2008 at 11:19 am
Noseycow
Parliament is shut. I’m in the constituency office answering the phones till x gets back from Cuba. There isn’t even a Starbucks.
July 14th, 2008 at 11:18 am
84…jo
Hmmmmm…..didn’t she refer to “Spooks” ?
And USA Intelligence Services, like our Intelligence Services, is quite an oxymoron.
July 14th, 2008 at 11:17 am
i bought three shirts in mossad’s sale a few months ago
very posh - buttons included!
paid 21 quid for 105 quid’s worth
i know someone who was in the sbs
never talked about it
same with sas folks - the real ones
seven minutes to cabaret time
July 14th, 2008 at 11:17 am
hi julie:_-)
July 14th, 2008 at 11:16 am
83
Matt. Says:
July 14th, 2008 at 11:14 am e
68…Carmen
I am beyond surprise.
I thought I was, but double agent Cheryl? You couldn’t make it up.
The book will be a corker.
July 14th, 2008 at 11:15 am
82
Matt
To Cheryl”s credit,she never said she was a secret agent but worked for somebody involved in intelligence.Rather different.Lest be fair
July 14th, 2008 at 11:14 am
68…Carmen
I am beyond surprise.
I have been pounding the pavements of Whitehall and asking questions.
Nothing now surprises me.
July 14th, 2008 at 11:12 am
67…Noseycow
A very unsecret “secret” agent,
Whatever next !!!1
July 14th, 2008 at 11:12 am
Anyhow…just a reminder
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article4022991.ece
July 14th, 2008 at 11:10 am
67
Baaaah, that’ll be the day (reminds me of a song) 
Noseycow Says:
July 14th, 2008 at 10:44 am
It turns out that our very own Cheryl works/worked for Mossad!
________________________
You trying to tell me I should watch my P’s and Q’s when “speaking” to Cheryl?
Hellooo everyone