Madeleine McCann: Why The Daily Express Did It
MADELEINE McCann: PETER Hill has left his job as editor of the Daily Express. Roy Greenslade speaks to him about the paper’s libeling of Kate and Gerry McCann (no mention in the piece of Robert Murat):
Asked whether he regretted libelling the McCanns, he replies: “Of course I do. And I insisted on apologising on the front of the newspaper when it became clear that it was a complete fabrication. We gave them £500,000. It doesn’t redound to my credit but it did help them to continue the search.”
“Leaking stories”
So why did it happen? “It was a huge story, and every adult in the country had an opinion on it. I admit it helped to sell the paper. There were many factors involved, such as the way Maddy’s parents sought publicity in an unprecedented way.
“All the way through, our principal focus was on ‘what’s happened to Maddy?’ The Portuguese police and British legal sources were leaking stories that implied the McCanns were guilty in some way. We were not to know that the Portuguese police were ineffectual and, in some cases, corrupt.”
And on it goes…
Spotter: Karen
Posted: 21st, February 2011 | In: Madeleine McCann Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
