Madeleine McCann: Porn, Liverpool For McCanns And Libel
MADDYWATCH - Anorak’s at-a-glance guide to press coverage of Madeleine McCann
THE INDEPENDENT: “Saga of the McCanns is not yet over”
Says Richard Ingrams:
No one can feel too sorry at the thought of Express owner Richmond Desmond, who has made a huge fortune out of pornography, having to shell out a fraction of his profits to the needy McCanns.
No, not climate porn, the Independent’s apocalyptic visions of climate change, but real flesh and hair porn - the porn that has given Richard Demsond “huge profits”; which must mean many not only enjoy porn and are happy to pay for it. Would “no one” feel sorry for Mr Desmond if his fine curtailed his porn output?
The Story of the McCanns and Express Newspaper was broken by Anorak
All the same, the story is puzzling. The Express was undoubtedly guilty of libel. But the suggestion that the McCanns might have been in one way or another responsible for their daughter’s death did not originate with the newspaper. It was the Portuguese police who long ago branded the McCanns as suspects. And officially they remain so. It has never been explained why they were so convinced of the McCanns’ guilt when all the facts seem to point the other way.
Facts? There is only one fact: Madeleine McCann is missing.
But, following this week’s libel settlement, there was general agreement that as a result of the Daily Express apology the McCanns had finally been cleared. But that isn’t so. They are still officially labelled arguido, or suspects. The Portuguese police are even anxious to re-interview the McCanns’ friends, the so-called Tapas Nine. So all those who were hoping they had heard the last of this story are likely to be disappointed.
General agreement by whom? And if the Tapas Nine are the McCanns’s friends aren’t they the Tapas 7, or the Sangria 7? Mr Ingrams is right to note that the case still open, those who thought they had heard the last of the story will be put out. But these days Madeleine McCann is no longer on tabloid front pages; she appears in comment pieces in the largely unread Independent. She is also missing.
LIVERPOOL POST: “Call for boycott of two newspapers in support of Madeleine McCann
Guardian journalist Roy Greenslade, former editor of The Mirror, suggested the idea on his blog.
Has the city of Liverpool so taken Madeleine McCann to its heart that it will boycott the Sun and Star, as it has the Sun? Of course, with the internet, locals can read such organs in privacy, behind closed curtain and locked doors.
Speaking to the ECHO, he said: “This isn’t good enough compensation, I feel that one editor should resign and proper action taken. These papers carried out a lengthy campaign and treated the McCanns very shabbily. For a multi-millionaire to be told to pay £550,000 is not a great deal of money.
“Lawyers were giving these papers due warnings during the coverage. No journalist has paid any price, but they will have been forced into the position and write these stories. There should be a boycott. Liverpool is a shining example of a city that refuses to allow bad journalism to go unpunished.”
Is there a special link between the McCanns and Liverpool?
Today, Susan Healy, Liverpool-born Kate’s mother, said that the untrue stories had caused great hurt to the family and friends. She added: “Kate is quite bitter about it as you’d expect. To see all those headlines again this week shocked me. It shouldn’t be legal. It was a diabolical time and I don’t know how anyone who gets satisfaction with writing lies like that.”
But the case is not over. Madeleine McCann is missing.
Clarence Mitchell, the McCann’s spokesman, said: “Kate and Gerry are pleased that the Express Newspapers apologised as fulsomely as they did. Immense distress was caused to the couple and their wider family and any action by people in the Liverpool area always helps to keep newspapers aware of their responsibilities and their requirements to stay within the law.”
Is your take on the disappearance of Madeleine McCann shaped by your region. Fact: 100% of Liverpudlians believe the McCanns are innocent; but just 56% of Cheltenham locals agree?
LEICESTER MERCURY: “MORE LIBEL SUITS TO COME?
Madeleine McCann’s family have not ruled out further court action following their £550,000 libel settlement. Kate and Gerry McCann’s lawyers are said to be holding a file of stories that could be acted upon, if they feel it is the right thing to do.
Kate and Gerry McCann are innocent. They have not been charged with any crime. Robert Murat is innocent. He has never been charged with any crime.
Says Clarence Mitchell:
“We are keeping all options open, neither ruling in further libel actions nor ruling them out. The lawyers have got a very large file of coverage they were unhappy with. We felt the Express group did it on a more defamatory basis, but there are other reports that gave the family cause for concern, not just in the UK. If action is taken it will be taken at a time of their choosing. This is a couple who have lost their daughter, who are not accused of any crime, yet who have been vilified unfairly and unjustly. They will act when they feel the boundaries are overstepped. We need to see how the dust settles.”
Madeleine McCann: a media feeding frenzy
March 22nd, 2008 at 8:29 am
The myths or some of them.
1) Gerry dumped a “broken fridge” from the villa. He wrote about it in his blog and there is a photograph of him doing so. (proof would be the original blog or the photo, not just other accounts of it)
2) A connection with “Castle Craig” to the case, other than sharing the common surname “mccann”
3) There was a 10th Tapas member who left the next day.
4) Gerry’s father was a labour MP
5) A private plane flew out of PDL on the night of 3rd May -EDIT 08/01 allegedly started by the psycho , sorry psychic who posts as “the rev”
6) Clarence was in PDL the night of the 3rd May
7) On the baby grace thread, there was a stated connection between john mccann, his employer, a ship leaving huelva, the “box” — all leading to the fact that baby grace was madeleine.
Absolute rubbish.
8 )”After all, it was our holiday too.” from Uncle Monty
9) Gerry dumping the black bag in the rubbish bin - from the yahoo.answers page.
10) “Paedo-oriented” material found on Murat’s computer - fretful porcupine
11) “Don’t say anything until they’ve switched off the microphone” what he actually says is “Do you want to say anything to whoever’s got her?” in proper (slightly refined) glaswegian.
12) ‘Taking the rotting meat to the tip’ –
13) Gerry is a cardiologist, not a heart surgeon
14) that there were early reports of a bag missing from apartment 5A* and by early I mean the first few days EDIT 08/01 no early reports found, although there is a report that marine police were looking for a bag.
15) Gordon Brown said that it would take some time for the nation to be prepared. 08/01 - Oh no he didn’t. It was the author of a Portugese article who said it, -and not GB.
16) There was a family uncle who left immediately - this one is from the hairdresser gossip on the Express website
March 22nd, 2008 at 8:31 am
2
Gandolf Says:
March 22nd, 2008 at 8:29 am
———————————————-
In other words..whatever you care to write, think or imagine !!!
March 22nd, 2008 at 8:38 am
A sale today of filing cabinets - quite a lot, going real cheap…..ordered them to put the “files of stories” in - when they make up their minds re more suing. What a farce - if they feel so bad about the stories, why didn’t they do the whole lot at once. No they had to see if they were successful first. They will have to hurry up!
March 22nd, 2008 at 8:42 am
3 -Ann
++++++++++++
Within legal limits!
March 22nd, 2008 at 8:45 am
4
lyn Says:
March 22nd, 2008 at 8:38 am
……………………………………………….
If someone were saying libellous things about me, I would be suing their backsides a lot sooner than nearly a year down the line. Like you said…they had to see if they were successful first .
The fact that the Fragrant Ones are only now suing smacks of an uncertainty as to their ground and also a feeble attempt to keep things going and to keep the money rolling in, I mean …after all…the Mortgage must be increasing with all the Credit Crunch Crisis, I know mine is !!
Do we know how Richard Branson is feeling about them now ? Is he quite so zealous in his support ?
March 22nd, 2008 at 8:46 am
5
DuncanR Says:
March 22nd, 2008 at 8:42 am
3 -Ann
++++++++++++
Within legal limits!
…………………………………………
Goes without saying Duncan !! but some of the pulp rags out there seem to get away with any old rubbish
March 22nd, 2008 at 8:48 am
Gandy
agree with most of that except number 11…millions heard it including all the Clouseau clan…it was dubbed over later that day…
March 22nd, 2008 at 8:57 am
7 - Ann
’some of the pulp rags …..’
+++++++++++
Hope you’re not including Anorak in this category!
March 22nd, 2008 at 8:58 am
8
clouseau Says:
March 22nd, 2008 at 8:48 am
Gandy
agree with most of that except number 11…millions heard it including all the Clouseau clan…it was dubbed over later that day…
………………………………………………..
Like I said “In other words..whatever you care to write, think or imagine !!!” or now, dub over, change to suit the circumstances etc ad nauseam.
As far as the whole case is concerned, we still have a missing child who seems to be getting lost in all the dross her “team” keep coming up with, which they seem to think is helping to keep her profile high on everyone’s agenda, but in fact is doing precious little else but to alienate the Fragarant Ones and all they and theirs stand for.
I am sure I am not alone in wanting to see an end to it all which will prove once and for all what happened to her, or at least, the results of what happened to her.
March 22nd, 2008 at 9:00 am
Ann
sadly only a select group know the answer to that one
March 22nd, 2008 at 9:01 am
11
in that group I included Eddie & Keela
March 22nd, 2008 at 9:01 am
9
DuncanR Says:
March 22nd, 2008 at 8:57 am
7 - Ann
’some of the pulp rags …..’
+++++++++++
Hope you’re not including Anorak in this category!
…………………………………………………………..
Duncan !! I am horrified !! “Anorak” is the best thing since sliced bread when used correctly that is. There is endless scope for theories and opinions and intellectual (!!) debate and in fact, a lot of what dyed-in-the-wool Anorakers have come up with should have been noted by the powers-that-be as I am sure we could have reached a conclusion by now, but what can we do ?? we are powerless against the “experts” and I know for a fact that several of us have tried to approach the McCanns, their publicity team, the papers, the officials and not a dicky-bird have they received in reply…so sod ‘em I say……..
March 22nd, 2008 at 9:02 am
11
clouseau Says:
March 22nd, 2008 at 9:00 am
Ann
sadly only a select group know the answer to that one
”””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””’
Very “select” and I suspect most of them have wings and haloes……………
March 22nd, 2008 at 9:14 am
Ann, I am from the shipyard area of Glasgow or what is left of it, I can tell you without fear of contradiction that GM said———- Do you want to say anything to whoever’s got her?” in proper (slightly refined) glaswegian.
March 22nd, 2008 at 9:16 am
Gandolf.
Make as many lists as you want, you are your lists are irrelevant.
Here are a few completely verifiable and undisputed facts for you.
The McCanns made no secret of their child care arrangements and before May 3rd have been verifiability reported as discussing them with strangers.
Kate McCann did not go to apartment 5b after discovering her child was missing from apartment 5a, despite knowing her good friend was there, her friend who’s partner was the most recent ‘checker’ of Madeleine. Perhaps Madeleine was with Jane because she had woken? Instead she acted out of character of the demure and rigidly self controlled women we have seen for ourselves and immediately deduced that the child had been ‘abducted’ and loudly proclaimed this to the world.
Despite originally telling everyone that the windows were ‘jemmied’ we later learned that they were not and that there were no signs in the window sill lichen to indicate anyone had ever climbed through it. Verifiable chnages in story are too numerous to put here - try this…
http://www.independent.ie/world-news/europe/mccann-family-reverse-story-over-breakin-evidence-1203473.html
The sighting of the ‘abductor’ by Jane Tanner was cancelled out by Gerry - stating that her time of sighting and his time of gazing down on Madeleine were the same time, 9:10.
Gerry McCann did not have his children checked for sedative use despite stating he though it odd in the furore they didnt wake up and that ‘maybe they had been sedated’. Instead he waited for 5 months and then decided to have some hair tested - hair which was how long we do not know.
The McCanns had the opportunity to go to open court and share with the world their innocence. They declined to, preferring to accept a large cash handout for the more extreme theories (which the sensible ones amongst us ignore anyway) and avoid explicit separation of the ‘exteme’ from the ‘probable’.
Just a few verifiable and undisputed facts in the public domain.
March 22nd, 2008 at 9:17 am
Ann
I do this so that if any of it comes to pass I can say “..we told you so” and the dates are there.
i believe there are times people can have dreams, visions, hunches, sixth sense, all it what you like. But I do not agree with the ‘it told you so’ attitude.
after all you are not speculating but declaring that you are sure you are right.
And i take exception in going so far as to say /imply that madeleine has said-
“…they’ve passsed me by twice already” .
March 22nd, 2008 at 9:20 am
Gandy
for the record I know what he said in the original ….and for the record I spent a lot of my youth in Clydebank
March 22nd, 2008 at 9:20 am
15
Gandolf Says:
March 22nd, 2008 at 9:14 am
Ann, I am from the shipyard area of Glasgow or what is left of it, I can tell you without fear of contradiction that GM said———- Do you want to say anything to whoever’s got her?” in proper (slightly refined) glaswegian.
””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””
I didn’t argue with that, I didn’t even see the interview so I cannot comment. I know several people got off on the tack that GM swas trying to “control” whatever Kate was saying and I think it would probably have been very ill-advised of him to say anything like that, on or off the camera, or in company with journalists etc. What he says to her, or how he treats her in private is their concern.
The only gripe I have with them is what most people have, in that they, Kate especially, seem not to have recated the way “normal ” people do. There have been several kiddies gone missing since then and any interviews with, or sightings of, the parents have shown - the mothers at least - to be complete physical, mental and emotional wrecks, not primly coifferedand made up and laughing as they jog merrily along in the sunshine !! …oh don’t let’s go there again………………..!!
March 22nd, 2008 at 9:22 am
Ian
please …Tanner
doing the hokey cokey back and forward across the street…..4 attempts now and I am still unsure where she was…dont think she does….fantacist
March 22nd, 2008 at 9:23 am
Ian the only fact on this board that I am sure about is, that you are a repetitive wanker, I suspect you are one of natures little jokes, just to show the rest of us how lucky we are, so you do have a common purpose after all.
March 22nd, 2008 at 9:23 am
15
Gandolf
Who cares?
Of more importance, assuming someone who went to Glasgow once can understand the inane barely comprehensible mutterings of an unpleasant little man who was ‘glad not to spend time with his children’ has understood what he said is, why was he muttering instructions to her? If he wanted to have that question broadcast, why didnt he say this himself?
Does him asking this prove anything other than Gerry thought it might look good to the wider world if she asked that and tried to get her to in an underhand manipulative manner rather than speaking loudly?
Anyway, why are you trying to set the agenda. Anorak have provided headlines which need addressing.
March 22nd, 2008 at 9:24 am
Gandy
is it a myth that Sky news reported a 100% match in the back of one of the hire cars?
March 22nd, 2008 at 9:24 am
21
Gandolf Says
Oh dear! You couldnt handle that could you!
March 22nd, 2008 at 9:24 am
Gandy is it a myth that the Mccanns are still Prime Suspects
March 22nd, 2008 at 9:27 am
26
Gandy whats your thought on the apartment being owned by a Mccann …no relative though and only lives 1 mile from Mrs Healy in Liverpool
March 22nd, 2008 at 9:28 am
Roll on the 7th April. Hopefully things will then be moved towards conclusion and we can all move on.
March 22nd, 2008 at 9:29 am
27
Gandy whats your thought why they just dont go back to Portugal and nip into see the PJ and clear a few things up
March 22nd, 2008 at 9:29 am
26
clouseau
Pure chance?
March 22nd, 2008 at 9:30 am
6 Anne
Yes, if someone were saying libelous things about me, they probably would know about it straight away. I would show my annoyance, and not wait some time and then decide to sue. The way the Mccanns and company act, only shows one thing IMO - makinmamoney.
Still would like to know why Maddy cried so much on holidays, and, why Kate went “overseas” for treatment. All unanswered questions that could clear quite a bit up re Maddy missing. That poor child.
March 22nd, 2008 at 9:31 am
17
pat Says:
March 22nd, 2008 at 9:17 am
Ann
I do this so that if any of it comes to pass I can say “..we told you so” and the dates are there.
i believe there are times people can have dreams, visions, hunches, sixth sense, all it what you like. But I do not agree with the ‘it told you so’ attitude.
after all you are not speculating but declaring that you are sure you are right.
And i take exception in going so far as to say /imply that madeleine has said-
“…they’ve passsed me by twice already” .
”””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””
When you get some vitriolic posters insulting you about your comments and theories, the “I told you so” attitude tends to come to the fore if not exactly meant to be taken in that way. Let’s face it, none of us “knows” what happened anyway, it is all speculation, not a lot of reality to go on except that the child is missing….full stop.
Why you should take exception to “…they’ve passsed me by twice already” I cannot imagine, I know psychic phenomena is a very sensitive area but there are cases where it has been well-established that foretellings have come to pass and phenomena have occurred which are beyond doubt. In a recent case, the Estate Agent who is handling our house sale told me he went to a house where the vendor told him in a very matter-of-fact tone, to ignore the doors banging and opening and closing as he went round, it was due to a little boy having been killed in a fire historically, and he was making his presence felt. Said Estate Agent was a tad sceptical about this as he went round the house measuring and so on, but the doors banged and flapped vigorously and he was more concerned that no-one had been called in to release the poor kid rather than to run white and screaming from the place !! Reason he mentioned it is because our house has parts which date from the 1600s and he asked if we had any “friendlies”.. Just because most people never run up against this sort of thing in their lives, doesn’t mean to say they don’t exist.
We did used to have a couple of entities, or whatever you like to call them, here but have sent them on their way and all is quiet again. They just need to be made aware of the fact that they are in fact…no more.