Madeleine McCann: Family Danger, Caylee Anthony And A Challenge To Libel
MADDIE WATCH – Anorak’s at-a-glance guide to press coverage of Madeleine McCann, Kate McCann and Gerry McCann
THE SUN: “Maddie: Hol chat on risk of kidnap”
James Clench continues his investigation of the McCann’s holiday, and he’s brought Lucy Hagan along for back up…
Perhaps James can be Gerry McCann and Lucy can be Kate, and they can turn their story into a multi-media play for today? Now read on…
Kate McCann and three friends discussed child-snatchers hours before daughter Madeleine disappeared, it has emerged.
Oh, aye. After yesterday’s news of Kate McCann picking up bade vibes, we now have a story that mother of young children talked about bogey men, stranger danger and paedos. What are the odds? Madeleine McCann: The Full Picture:
Dr Russell O’Brien, one of the so-called Tapas Seven, told police of the “haunting” conversation had while on holiday in Portugal last year. He said it came up after another father said he felt awkward photographing his own child.
Men and children. Beware. Feel the fear… What of the other facts?
Dr O’Brien, 37, was with his partner Jane Tanner, 37, Rachel Oldfield, 37, and Kate, 40.
Facts! Now Clench is getting somewhere…
He said: “We then had a conversation about the ludicrous pressure on parents that they can’t take photos of their children.
Bill Henson is listening…
“The other aspect of the conversation, which is doubly haunting, was that we said, ‘You’re far more likely to get clobbered by your uncle or your neighbour than some random stranger’. Since this happened ten or 11 hours before Madeleine was abducted, it seemed a very uncomfortable coincidence.”
The words appear like a challenge for readers to libel someone.
MOM LOGIC (US): “Media Bias: Only White Kids Get Abducted”
Thousands of kids go missing each day — so why do we never seem to hear about the African-American children?
We only hear about Madeleine McCann. She is the benchmark for missing chidlren.
What do JonBenet Ramsey, Madeleine McCann, Elizabeth Smart and Polly Klaas all have in common?
They were all abducted by aliens? They all had six fingers on their left hand? They all liked pink?
They are all girls who have been abducted — or in the most tragic cases, killed — and they are all attractive white girls.
Spooky. Are photogenic white girls more likely to go missing, then?
The media has always seemed to only be interested in covering stories of white children who go missing — and pretty ones at that. Currently, Caylee Anthony fits that profile: doe-eyed with a winning smile. Despite ourselves when we first heard her story many of us thought, “Oh it’s so sad, she’s such a pretty little girl.”
Do we value one child above another?
But pretty and white are not the only children in peril, and are not the only ones who should have our attention. Nearly 800,000 children under the age of 18 are reported missing each year in the United States, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Of those reported missing, 33% are African-American. So where’s the 24/7 coverage of their stories?
Well, not all of the 800,000 are children. Not all stay missing. And not all of them are of a type of child that gels with the readers of national newspapers and the TV news.
One website is doing its part to at least try to fix the disparity. Black and Missing But Not Forgotten is dedicated to spreading awareness of missing African-American children. One post on the site “Caylee Anthony is Not the Only Missing Florida Toddler, ” tells the story of little Zenyetta Ra, who is also missing from the Tampa area, about 84 miles from the last known sighting of Caylee. “Zenyetta Ra is also missing”, says the site, “However, you won’t see Nancy Grace talking about her. Not even the local news.”
The website further exemplifies the bias by this statistic. A Google search on Caylee will garner about 600,000 results. “Can’t say the same for Zenyetta,” laments the website.
Madeleine McCann is missing – still missing…
Madeleine McCann: Mafia, A Bag Of Clothes And Missing Children
Shannon Matthews: Ripper Yarn And Not In McCanns’ Class
Madeleine McCann: Ben Needham Is Missing, Operation Predator And Maddie’s Cops
Madeleine McCann: McCanns Admit, Liverpool Echo Wins And A Missing Child
Not Madeleine McCann: Rui Pedro, A Missing Portuguese Child
Having An E-fit Over Madeleine McCann
Posted: 21st, October 2008 | In: Back pages Comments (90) | TrackBack | Permalink
