Madeleine McCann And Shannon Matthews: Watching The Parents
MADDYWATCH – Anorak’s at-a-glance guide to press coverage of Madeleine McCann and Shannon Matthews
BELFAST TELEGRAPH: “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…
Two girls are missing:
Back in Britain, within those first 12 days, the McCanns got Premier League footballers to wear Madeleine T-shirts and athletes to run in yellow ribbons. They asked for advice from the likes of Phil Hall, former editor of the News of the World. And there was another factor: Madeleine was cute, and Kate McCann good-looking.
The cameras loved her, even when she broke down during a press conference, clutching her daughter’s pink Cuddle Cat.
Such reporting sheds no light on the case, but all on the parents.
Karen Matthews is not as elegant, nor as eloquent. Middle England may not envy her life, or identify with it. But the 32-year-old looked as lost and in pain as any other mother would when she broke down in tears outside her home the day after Shannon went. “I’m begging you, baby, please come back,” she said. But it seemed that almost as much attention was paid to the fact that Karen has had seven babies by five fathers. Shannon’s dad Leon Rose left four years ago.
The Media Frenzy on Madeleine McCann
Posted: 3rd, March 2008 | In: Madeleine McCann Comments (661) | TrackBack | Permalink
