The Abuse of the McCann's

There has been an abundance of hysterical rumour and front page unfounded allegations accusing and abusing the McCann family since their daughter’s disappearance. It is not only Express newspapers that were guilty of terrible front-page lies and allegations, just about all the tabloids dealt in untruth and rumour, blurring the lines between opinion and fact. Even the broadsheets have on occasion perpetuated certain myths in connection with this case.

What has been made clear once again by the abuse of the McCann family is that at present newspapers feel free to report unfounded rumour and vicious allegations in bold front-page headlines. The complete fabrication of stories is proven once again and still massively common in tabloid journalism. By the liberal use of supposed ‘close sources,’ journalists are then free to write any old bull that fits the particular slant the publication is taking with a story.

We are very pleased that the McCann’s won their front-page apology by taking on this publishing giant in the courts. The greater percentage of people in the UK however could not afford the massive financial undertaking and indeed huge risk of losing an expensive libel trial. As legal aid is not available the huge legal costs of such a trial could easily mean losing your home and all your life savings. This is a very unbalanced situation and does not protect the individual from such personal attacks by the media.

The relentlessness of these slanderous media attacks put a massive strain on a family already under immense pressure. Vicious lies and gossip is then spread around as many people believe these newspapers to be credible and the allegations therefore to be true or to at least contain some truth. A vicious judgemental mass of vitriol is then focused on this family. Internet chat rooms are then filled with idiots who comment on what they believe to be true as they attempt to piece together all of the, leaks, lies, vitriol and opinion based reporting.
News entertainment for millions of wannabe judgemental detectives encouraged to gossip and bitch at every turn by a very sad and hypocritical tabloid press.

“Stop hiding behind the media, PR spin and lawyers Kate and help the police if you believe she is alive.” - A comment from a Daily Mail reader exclaims!

What absolute bloody ignorance, but then bloody ignorance seems to be what our newspapers are intent on breeding in this population. This person clearly has no idea what the McCann’s are going through. Oh, but they think they know all sorts of things, certainly enough to base this kind of stupid opinion. So she knows for sure that the McCann’s are not helping the Police does she, oh really! What, because the Daily Mail or The Sun, or The Mirror, or The Express or The Star told her so in an opinion piece article based around ‘a close source’ or a supposed ‘family friend.’ Oh it must be true!!! No, just more irresponsible, lazy journalism!!!

Tomorrow’s fish and chip wrapper is not so innocent after all. Every day in tabloid blogs and chat rooms disgusting vitriol is centred on this week’s hate figure. Tabloid lies and speculation are repeated as truth and much vitriol is encouraged by the misinformation, by the lies and the opinion pieces, by the gossip and the vicious rumour. Because all this has been passed off as journalism when in reality most of these journalists have not even left the office in London. (except maybe for a pint or a line of coke or a nail appointment). It is just bitchy, lazy, cheap journalism that is horribly sensationalist and created by a lowlife tabloid press intentionally appealing to base instincts by spicing up stories for salacious entertainment and profit. It is Wrong! with a capital W but has a huge influence on the opinions of our population.

Why would a newspaper cause so much unnecessary pain and suffering to this family already tormented by grief. The simple but completely unsatisfactory answer is for profit. Basically these corporate organisations have profited by another family’s misery without any concern for the truth or their feelings. The McCann’s, living in torment at the loss of their child are then accused, with no evidence, of murder by newspapers read by millions and millions of people everyday. This is a criminal abuse of power.

Susan Healy, Kate McCann’s mother has been quoted as saying

“That the untrue stories had caused great hurt to the family and friends. “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 gets satisfaction with writing lies like that.”

Mike Jempson, Director of The Mediawise trust, the excellent and informative website and charity organisation http://www.mediawise.org.uk sums the situation up:

“This newspaper has profited hugely by running hundreds of stories implicating the couple. Their main object was to increase sales by playing to the prurient interests of their readers. Speculation became news – the more sensational the alleged ‘revelations’, the better. It is this cynical abuse of power as much as any additional hurt caused to the couple and their family, which should now be exercising the minds of editors, journalists and the Press Complaints Commission (PCC).”

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