Madeleine McCann: The Tabloid Dog Pack, Kate McCann’s Diary And Shannon Matthews
MADDIE WATCH - Anorak’s at-a-glance guide to press coverage of Madeleine McCann, Kate McCann, Gerry McCann and Robert Murat
PRESS GAZETTE: “Furious lawyer attacks tabloids’ ‘pack-dog’ mentality over stories”
Read all about it in the Star, Sun, Mirror etc.
Louis Charalambous represented Robert Murat in his libel action against eleven tabloid newspapers. Two other claimants in the same case, Sergey Malinka and Michaela Walczuch, were awarded apologies and a “substantial six-figure settlement”.
Charalambous tells the Press Gazette:
“Having to capitulate, apologise and pay up is not the end of it. The trust in those titles ebbs away among their combined readership of 15 million. In particular, readers of The Sun, Mirror, Express and Star were told lie after lie about my clients. It brings into question how much more of their paper’s news coverage they can rely on…
“There was a pack-dog mentality here and my clients and their families were the prey. The children of Robert and Michaela, little girls, one not much older than Madeleine, were hounded and had to go in and out of their homes with coats over their heads.
“I’d like to invite the editors of the worst of these titles to have tea and cake with them and explain why they let their journalists and photographers harass them. They are now recovering but the effects are long-lasting.”
Tea with lawyers? Take care. Bring a tape recorder and a copy of the invitation. Leave wallet at home. But what about the story, the single-thread story? What about our Maddy?
“Journalistically this was a story without legs: child goes missing, no idea of her fate and foreign coppers not leaking to their trusted hacks in the time-honoured way. Reporters then developed lines of the story and ‘creatively’ adopted the rubbish coming out of the Portuguese tabloid press.”
Case closed. What what about Murat?
Max Clifford, no longer representing Murat, says:
“If you think that the McCanns got £500,000 from one newspaper group, he went after 11 newspapers – and they were far more vicious to him than they were to the McCanns.”
Maybe Murat wasn’t after the money, just closure? Maybe the papers got of lightly?
“If you want people to believe you are innocent you can forget about it. He and his family are going to have to live with this for the rest of their lives.”
So says a professional PR not in the least bit bitter about being dropped by Murat.
THE SUN: “Kate’s Maddie diaries leaked”
EXCERPTS from Kate McCann’s diary covering the first agonising weeks after daughter Maddie vanished have emerged.
Did you see them? In case you didn’t, here they are:
They show that the desperate mum left messages asking PM Gordon Brown to “increase political pressure” to aid the search. After he phoned 40-year-old Kate and husband Gerry, she noted that Mr Brown was “nice and supportive” — but that she “felt a bit emotional after”.
DAILY MIRROR: “Kate and Gerry McCann: Portuguese cops’ hunt for Maddie ‘pathetic’”
Portuguese police knocked on just 443 doors in the failed hunt for missing Madeleine McCann.
That a lot?
There are 7,000 homes in Praia da Luz…
No door unknocked…
In stark contrast, British police probing the disappearance of Shannon Matthews earlier this year knocked on 5,000 doors and searched 2,000 houses. Nine-year-old Shannon was found in 24 days, whereas Portuguese police have stopped looking for Madeleine after 14 months.
But the police door knocking wasn’t what found Shannon Matthews. The rozzers responded to a tip off from a neighbour of one Paul Donovan.
Also, Shannon Matthews’ mother, Karen Matthews, is under arrest for her alleged part in her daughters’ disappearance. Kate McCann is innocent. So what do the two matters have in common? Or is this Tabloid Bingo?
A friend of the McCanns said: “The 443 doors would barely cover 500 yards from the apartment where Madeleine was taken. That is shocking and unacceptable.”
Is it?
Posted: 28th, July 2008 | In: Broadsheets, Madeleine McCann, Tabloids Comments (325) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
Comments
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July 28th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
coolandcalm Says:
July 28th, 2008 at 10:30 am
babyjane… I use a mouse and try to swop hands. Very hard to get used to! I can’t cope with a touchpad on the laptop so I plug a mouse in…… I take painkillers all the time which is very bad.
—————
Hi, coolandcalm, it may probably sound too easy a solution for sceptics, but try to use the mouse from a different angle. What I’m trying to say is: the mouse position ist important. Shift it a few centimeters to the left or to the right - that can make a big difference to your muscles and tendons. If the hand is in a “skew position”, it can start to hurt up to your ellbow.
Yours,
Dr. McBaby
July 28th, 2008 at 2:16 pm
Carmen,
I only have a minute but I must say two things, bravo and thank you.
July 28th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
To everybody,APART FOR MARIA,CHERYL,C&C
I wonder if clarrie is going to fart over the blog being hacked
How did the cow live the first day without Madeleine?
Calling the media,Bordon Grown,making appointment to hair dresser for pictures,,washing the flat,jogging,dumping the twins at the creche,having more wine with “hairy”,writing stupid incriminating things in her diary….what else?all normal activities,really..err…you knô, a grieving parent,busy looking for “it”….err….Madeleine
July 28th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Are the mccLawyers going to sue c1c4tr1z??
July 28th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Brandon, he has it in for everybody!
July 28th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Maria and C&C, found the Sun’s story on the leaks of the diary quite interesting. Kate McCann, who many of the anti’s claim knows more about her daughter’s disappearance than telling, has in her diary shortly afterwards how she was calling Gordon Brown to put more pressure on the search for her daughter.
Then you have the Sainted One (looks rather like a toad in his picture), claiming he couldn’t do his job properly because of political pressures. Can’t figure that one out. Well I guess it would be rather difficult explaining Kate McCann falling down stairs … with the UK government looking on.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/maddie/article1477927.ece
M and A
a moot but maybe relevant point Cheryl, GB did not become PM until later in the year, sometime last July. If that fairly obvious fact is misreported, what else is?
July 28th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
m.e.
Maybe because they can’t say they can’t answer a question due to the on-going investigation and Oprah is bound to ask them why they left the kids….
July 28th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Rumour has it that the Sunday Mirror once published an article which was true. Fortunately the editor noticed and sacked the journo for bringing the tabloids into disrepute…
July 28th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Hi everyone, I’ve been away for sometime, but catching up on your comments today. I have to agree with Jo, it is all about JUSTICE FOR MADELEINE and not anything else.
July 28th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
melanie
Do you think she will sue the scottish fella from mock the week !!!
He has it in for her doesnt he ?
July 28th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
I see the Sunday Mirror has been successfully sued by Kerry Katona over false allegations the made about her. Makes you wonder just how many made up stories we read every day.
July 28th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Hi Brandon, good dfay to you too. There is nothing like a good lapping I agree..
Just catching up with the JM blog - PHEW!
July 28th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
melanie
Good morning !
No I lapped it up like a puppy !
Too hot for messy shenanigans today.
July 28th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
“Its bloody hot, I hope you dont mind I am in the nude !
kids out for a couple of hours and I am enjoying a magnum ”
Not the smearing over the body again I hope…
July 28th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Carmen
8
I completely agree.
I hope your arm gets better soon. x
July 28th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
nothing wrong in that firestar, my kids are always telling me I sound like barbara windsor!
I hope they mean in carry on and not eastenders
July 28th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Four Candles. Firestar.
July 28th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
i must be getting old, i’m starting to sound like ronnie barker.
July 28th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
sounds like you ought to watch out you don’t get your own doodles caught in the margins.
July 28th, 2008 at 11:56 am
Maria Says:
July 28th, 2008 at 11:52 am
I should have said “The Portuguese AG has knowingly lied, is a fool, or was kept deliberately in the dark by Amaral.”
———————-
Dear Maria; it’s a comfort to have such a charitable poster on the blog….
July 28th, 2008 at 11:55 am
Its bloody hot, I hope you dont mind I am in the nude !
kids out for a couple of hours and I am enjoying a magnum
Any more revelations of kates diary yet?
I wonder what doodles she had in the margins, I bet they would be very revealing!
July 28th, 2008 at 11:52 am
I should have said “The Portuguese AG has knowingly lied, is a fool, or was kept deliberately in the dark by Amaral.”
Work today. To hot and sunny to work. At least I have a late start.
Have a good day.
Bye all.
July 28th, 2008 at 11:47 am
Maria
It is NOT about the mccanns it is about making JUSTICE TO MADELEINE
Put it in your chicken head
July 28th, 2008 at 11:35 am
Maria Says:
July 28th, 2008 at 11:26 am
……..I hope the full truth will come out of all this.
——————————
As do we all, for Madeleine’s sake, and the other little children who have suffered because of all of this.
Suing for libel in Portugal would be an excellent way of bringing at least some of the truth to light…
July 28th, 2008 at 11:26 am
C and C
There seem to be two main basic possibilities :
(a) Amaral is hurt, humiliated at being sacked from the case and bitter about finishing an otherwise seuccessful career on a note of “failure”. He found himself out of his depth as a “little employee” (his words) in this case with its international profile. He also authorised all those leaks to the press.
He is also facing trial for perjury in another case of a missing child whose mother claims the police tortured her. The presumption of innocence MUST prevail but Amaral is not just an arguido; he has been charged and faces trial. Whatever the outcome (and I hope he is found not guilty), that will be an unpleasant and humiliating experience for him. And mud sticks, as we know only too well! The mud of being an arguido sticks, never mind the mud of having gone to trial.
The book is, effectively, a combined attempt to rescue his professional reputation by showing that there were good reasons why he was so fixated on the Mcs’ guilt in faking an abduction and a revenge against the British police and the Mcs themselves. He has decided to embarrass them as much as possible.
He is making a wad of cash to make his enforced (???) retirement a bit more pleasant.
(b) Amaral was deliberately silenced as he was getting near the truth. The British police, the PJ, the two Governments, the FSS, the NHS………all lied and/or delayed in varying degrees to prevent the truth coming out. The Lisbon Treaty was not signed by Gordon Brown until he was sure this was going to happen. Rebelo has not led an honourable and thorough investigation but has either messed up the whole thing and failed to discover what was so obvious to Amaral (why didn’t A tell him?) or found the truth but has been forced to keep silent or the truth was deliberately kept from him.
To make matters even worse, if that were possible, the Portuguese AG has knowingly lied.
If Amaral’s book is straightforwardly true, then some version or other of (a) or (b) is, presumably, more or less correct.
If Amaral has sat on real evidence only to reproduce it in his book (or even has still kept stuff to himself, as he has indicated) then he will be in bother. As one of the top policemen said a couple of days ago (can’t remember now who it was), such evidence should have been put forward to keep the case open, not to write a book.
I feel rather sorry for Rebelo in all this.
And it has to be said that a thorough investigation of the parents should have been seen to have been undertaken from day one. No use suggesting a reconstruction twelve months on. It should have been done at the time, as suggested by the parents. No use waiting several months before consulting the top forensic people (who lied anyway, it would seem!) and no use allowing the apartment to be rented out again.
But who was leading the investigation at that time?
I hope the full truth will come out of all this.
July 28th, 2008 at 11:26 am
coolandcalm
I have e-mailed you.
July 28th, 2008 at 11:26 am
M&A
I’m sure there is sympathy within the PJ on a personal level, but I don’t think he is being used as a hunting dog to flush the prey from undercover
And as Artemis, I should know
…………………………….
If it could get around political interference and get the McCanns in court why not. The PJ have and are getting piles of crap thrown at them from the English (stands up) enough to maybe warrant a different approach. They seem pretty quiet on the whole affair.
Say hi to Apollo.
July 28th, 2008 at 11:12 am
Chenier… I have thought about it but so many I know can’t cope with it. The trouble is the editing and chopping and changing words around makes it very time consuming apparently.
May have to do something though. I suppose going to the doctor would be an option?
Duncan, my very very Scottish friend binned hers (Dragon?) because it didn’t understand her! Mind you, I have to concentrate really hard when she is in full rant.
M and A
C&C check your post to Carmen
July 28th, 2008 at 10:53 am
28/07/08
Policeman irritates Kate for not offering coffee - Correio da Manhã
What about the toasts?
Her Highness is a very angry woman,isnt she?
http://joana-morais.blogspot.com/
July 28th, 2008 at 10:46 am
DuncanR Says:
July 28th, 2008 at 10:41 am
———————–
My downfall was coughing…