Madeleine McCann And Shannon Matthews: And Jamie Bulger
MADDYWATCH - Anorak’s at-a-glance guide to press coverage of Madeleine McCann and Shannon Matthews
THE INDEPENDENT: “Missing: The contrasting searches for Shannon and Madeleine. Has class influenced the rewards offered and publicity given to two campaigns to find missing children? Cole Moreton goes to Dewsbury to investigate”
Shannon’s parents are not doctors. The child is not blonde, neither is the mother.
Shannon’s uncle, Neil Hyett, lives next door to her, and has had his house and garden searched. The media frenzy of last week bewildered him, but like many others in Dewsbury Moor he says he now wishes he could find a way to make it continue. “It’s all gone quiet, hasn’t it?” he said at the sparse community centre from which the leaflet and poster campaign continues to be run. “Last week, you couldn’t park for television vans. Now they’ve all been sent away on other stories.” Even The Sun’s support yesterday caused disappointment. “I’m devastated, to be honest,” said a coach driver, as others around him agreed. “That poster should have been on the front page.” It was on page 17.
Madeleine McCann
Age: Four. Parents: Kate, 40, a GP. Gerry, 39, a cardiologist. Siblings: Twins, now aged two.
Home: Detached house, Leicestershire.
UK press stories after nine days: 465.
Rewards offered: £2.6m: the ‘News of the World’, Stephen Winyard, Philip Green, Simon Cowell, Coleen McLoughlin, ‘The Sun’, Sir Richard Branson, J K Rowling.
Public donations: £1.1m:
J K Rowling, Bryan Adams, David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, John Terry, Phil Neville, David Moyes, the England cricket team.
Wikipedia profile: 2,182 words after nine days.
Shannon Matthews
Age: Nine. Parents: Karen, 32, and Leon Rose, 29. Stepfather, Craig, 22. Siblings: Six boys and girls, from her mother’s partnerships with five different men.
Home: Three-bed council house, Dewsbury Moor.
UK press stories after nine days: 242.
Rewards offered: £25,500. Made up of £20,000 by ‘The Sun’, £5,000 from Huddersfield firm Joseph International, £500 from Wakefield pensioner Winston Bedford.
Public donations: Thousands at most, including Leona Lewis.
Wikipedia profile: 151 words after nine days.
SUNDAY PEOPLE: “Lost little Shannon ’snatched’”
Devastated friends and family of missing schoolgirl Shannon Matthews last night insisted the nine-year-old was snatched.
Says cousin Vicky Saunders: “Shannon’s quite a timid girl and wouldn’t like to go off on her own.
Family friend Petra Jamieson adds: “She’s the ideal daughter who behaves well. We want everyone to remember Shannon, like they do Madeleine McCann.”
THE SCOTSMAN: “Madeleine sighting in France is ruled out”
We are all looking for Madeleine McCann, and at her…
A reported sighting of Madeleine McCann in southern France has been officially ruled out. Gerry McCann revealed that French police have established that the young girl seen by a Dutch tourist in Montpellier last month was not his missing daughter.He said it was “disappointing” that it took so long for this to happen after “widespread” media reporting of the sighting.
In his latest blog, Mr McCann writes: “We did hear that the French have officially ruled out the reported sighting of Madeleine in Montpellier.”
We watch the McCanns. And we scrutinise their every word. They now even report on the case.
THE OBSERVER: “’James would be 18 now - the pain of losing him will never go away’
Fifteen years ago, the murder of toddler James Bulger by two young boys horrified Britain and inflicted deep wounds on their home city of Liverpool. In this moving interview, James’s mother Denise Fergus tells Elizabeth Day that the passing years have not diminished the pain over the loss of her son and her anger towards his killers, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables.
In the aftermath of the trial in November 1993, the Daily Star carried pictures of Venables and Thompson underneath the headline ‘How do you feel now you little bastards?’
Denise Fergus still cannot bring herself to walk near the Walton railway line… It has been 15 years since the murder of her son James Bulger on this stretch of track; 15 years since he was beaten to death by two killers who were themselves children.
The pain of losing him will never go away. But there’s so much more in my life that I determined long ago not to be a victim any more. I don’t let things hurt me so easily as I once did. Like it was hurtful when the papers called him “Jamie”. That was never his name. It was like a strange label they invented to sum him up in one word. It’s the same now with Madeleine McCann. The papers call her “Maddy”.
Maddie, Shan And More: the media’s look at missing children
Posted: 2nd, March 2008 | In: Madeleine McCann, Tabloids Comments (443) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
Comments
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March 22nd, 2008 at 4:27 pm
I disagree.
Class and status are not compatible in criminology. The two are separate in cultural and kinship. If we look at kinship we see that families unite to save their own skins as to reputation as a quantifiable resource of protectionism. It is instinctive.
However, the traits of Shannon show she was uhappy to say the least and was found where the parents one assumes would be the first place to check knowing this persons background. In support of the McCanns there was no such past history or disfunctional family background. What concerns me is the photo of Shannon which purports to show this infant with an black eye, no more than that a large contusion so much so it is in the picture and she has to bend her head back blind to blow out the candles. It is obvious from this image she is not able to see to blow out her own candles. If so who did this?
March 21st, 2008 at 11:46 pm
I can answer the central question in the opening article straight off. It is nothing to do with “class” at all (though a certain kind of armchair politician clearly would like it to be). Quite simply, the McCanns are [reputed to be (dr)] friends with Gordon Brown’s brother, himself a PR man and, of course, he has a hotline to what passes for the top these days.
The Matthews family, on the other hand, have no such connection.
March 14th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
The class & occupations of those concerned is not an issue here. The country in which it happened is.
If Madeleine had gone missing in this country the police would have automatically investigated close family too.
Now Shannon has been found, the whole affair looks deeply suspicious.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:42 pm
It’s a great shame that another little girl has gone missing. Who knows what has happened, my thoughts are with her family and friends and may their god be with them, at least Shanon’s mother knows she did’nt go out for a meal and drinks and leave her child / children alone in a strange apartment in a foreign country Let’s all pray and hope these children are safe somewhere. And lets not forget little Ben who went missing in on the Island of Kos some 17 years ago.
March 11th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
I hope they find shannon matthews because i fell soory for her family
March 10th, 2008 at 9:07 pm
Clinical psychology is not psycho babble. It is from Klein and the words in the papers would make Melanie Klein’s hair stand on end as would Winnicott’s.
This is not the same as the Lindbergh fiasco, nor the McCann fiasco. It is of inner city deprivation and of her own unhappiness spread in the media as far more illuminating from those interviewed than a three year old. I would think that Shannon would be a happier child in better financial and environmental circumstances, but do we care?
No. That is why she is missing in suspicious circumstances. The toy used in Madeleine as transient object is held again in media, as is the reward. Cuddlecat is not the beanie bear that could not feed her, could not love her, console her, or direct her to a better life of affluence. Child Poverty is the governments fault as uncaring. Shannon is a victim of poverty, nothing else, and of those complications that are visual and known.
March 9th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
There are alot of websites for shannon, just do a google search for it, thats what i did. Theres a myspace site, a few facebook sites, bebo sites and many many more. I dont know if im allowed to post links but ill give it a go http://www.findshannon.co.uk thats one site.
x
relaw1926
March 9th, 2008 at 12:02 am
Well just like we are all saying…..HOW MONEY TALKS…..for weeks or should I say months we had the story of Missing Madelaine on the front pages of our papers and the first headlines on every UK TV Channel……..what has Shannon Matthews had?…None of this………..No great big rewards offered by the celebrities……no blogs done everyday by her Dad, he is out searching for his daughter……I am so disappointed that the rich and famous can be so hypecritical where money is concerned……instead they only back their own peers……the difference a big house, professional job and large salary against a council house and a menial job paying the basic rate (but just as important……every job is, cos without the small boys to do the dirty jobs the big boys cannot operate, they make the money for them in most cases)……so lets see a few million pounds offered for information leading to her being found…..and can someone who is cleverer than myself start a web page where we can go and put our messages of support for her and her family…..Thanks.
rel:dr:03.59
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:50 am
new thread
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:49 am
452 - yeah yeah I believe you lol
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:49 am
Just_me - i am soooooo obviousley a Martha!!!
as i’m sure you realised already 
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:46 am
449 - OK Nosey, have fwd the email to you
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:46 am
447
dcb Says:
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:34 am
“…..“The psychologist who came out to help us [Alan Pike from the Centre for Crisis Psychology in Skipton] was very good at turning our thought processes away from speculation. OK, there’s probabilities, but you don’t know that and he was very good at challenging the negatives. He was very much, ‘You will feel better after each thing that you take control of, even simple things’. We were surrounded by the Ambassador, the consul, PR crisis management, police, and he was saying ‘The decisions are yours’.”…..”
Has Alan Pike been to see the Matthews?
Have the Matthews had any government agency support?
Not that I have read.
=======================
To be fair:
What happened to the McCanns happened abroad, the Mathews’ have had full involvement of the police which I think would include family support services.
I agree with Matt re the benefit of Mr Pike.
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:42 am
Just_me - thanks have emailed
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:40 am
447…dcb
I note your point.
But am sure the Matthew’s are much better off without the psychobabble
which is Mr A Pike.
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:34 am
“…..“The psychologist who came out to help us [Alan Pike from the Centre for Crisis Psychology in Skipton] was very good at turning our thought processes away from speculation. OK, there’s probabilities, but you don’t know that and he was very good at challenging the negatives. He was very much, ‘You will feel better after each thing that you take control of, even simple things’. We were surrounded by the Ambassador, the consul, PR crisis management, police, and he was saying ‘The decisions are yours’.”…..”
Has Alan Pike been to see the Matthews?
Have the Matthews had any government agency support?
Not that I have read.
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:34 am
442 noseycow - I dont know if Val has your email, but she just sent me one Martha or Maxine and Maxine is soooooo me lol. if you want to click my name and ‘contact me’ i will send it to you
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:34 am
Chântelaine - are we detecting a ‘distancing’ of the pink one from team mcc??
Will K’s breakdown be next??
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:33 am
443
Châtelaine
=============
Hmmmm, slighlty odd, might be nothing, but the comical one does like to have his tag attatched to comments doesn’t he.
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:27 am
438
Rockhopper Says:
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:15 am
Has Clarrie remained silent since the taxi story thing?
****
Seems so.
Funny thing: I read somewhere over the weekend that “a” spokesman for MCs said something. Not “the” or “their” spokesman …
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:27 am
Just_me - are we confessing this morning???
in which case…
I am a nosey cow (i know i’ve said it before - not changed anything though)
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:23 am
Val - if you are reading this - I am a Maxine lol, you know what I mean lol
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:18 am
Morning Nosey - had gone to bed last night so didn’t get chance to answer your question. Yes they have been home for a week now
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:15 am
rockhopper - i don’t know -am just catching up myself.
DCB - morning
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:15 am
Has Clarrie remained silent since the taxi story thing?
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:08 am
Very quiet Mother’s day from the Mccanns. A publicity opportunity missed?
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:08 am
noseycow
Any news/progress/revelations since Fri pm?
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:06 am
Rockhopper - thats the main advantage of shift work IMO
Actually got two weeks annual leave to waste on anorak (if i don’t take it by end of march then i’d lose it, and much as i love the NHS I only needed telling once!)
Addiction heaven
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:02 am
433
noseycow Says:
March 3rd, 2008 at 8:59 am
Matt LOL duh!
Rockhopper - working all weekend…
================
So time off now then?
I used to enjoy finishing a tour on Mon morning, 4 days off while everyone else was chained to the workplace.
March 3rd, 2008 at 8:59 am
Matt LOL duh!
Rockhopper - working all weekend…
March 3rd, 2008 at 8:58 am
430
noseycow Says:
March 3rd, 2008 at 8:52 am
Rockhopper - survive mothers day ok??
======================
Yep, bunged my mum a card, kids were with me when I was shopping for it but they didn’t ask for any cash to get their own mother one so I didn’t offer any, nice that they’re old enough for me not to have to do it for them anymore, it used to grate a bit, prompting them and financing cards for someone I dislike so intensly. And you?