Madeleine McCann: Fiona MacKeown Compares And More Questions
MADDYWATCH – Anorak’s at-a-glance guide to press coverage of Madeleine McCann
DAILY MAIL: “The very sinister cover-up behind Scarlett’s murder in Goa”
The paper looks to Fiona MacKeown, mother to murdered teenager Scarlett Keeling.
“I have nine children which makes you strong and there has been a lot to do. When I have nothing to do but think – it’s very hard. She really fought for her life and I think about that all the time.”
How does she feel about all the criticism of her for leaving Scarlett?
“I’m not surprised, really. Look at what’s been said about Madeleine McCann’s mother, and she is the picture of elegance.”
Says Fiona Mackeown, the media’s Charlotte Rampling.
DAILY TELEGRAPH: “Madeleine McCann police in last ditch visit”
Portuguese police investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann will travel to Britain for interviews with friends of the toddler’s family in what may be their last major effort to crack the case.
BBC: “Police to question McCann friends”
The friends who were on holiday with Madeleine McCann’s parents when the girl went missing are to be reinterviewed by police in the UK.
The group of seven will be questioned next week by Leicestershire Police, with Portuguese detectives present.
THE GUARDIAN: “Open door – The readers’ editor on … self-regulation and reputation management”
Can you trust newspapers?
March was chilly here in the UK, where newspaper ombudsmen are thin on the ground. The Daily Express, Sunday Express, Daily Star and Daily Star Sunday (all from the Express Newspapers stable) said sorry in the high court and published front-page apologies to Kate and Gerry McCann for a string of stories suggesting they were involved in their daughter Madeleine’s disappearance. They were joined at the Royal Courts of Justice by the Daily Mail, which turned up to apologise to Sheldon Adelson for stories about his business practices. On the same day the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) upheld a complaint against the Evening Standard. A front-page story, in August last year, about the climate camp at Heathrow was “materially misleading” it said and “adequate care had not been taken over the presentation of the piece”.
Three major press retreats in one day looks like carelessness. The apologies to the McCanns came about not because editors experienced a moment of clarity but because legal action was threatened. The climbdown cost £550,000 in damages, plus legal costs. The Daily Mail faces an even bigger payout – around £4m according to Adelson’s lawyers. The Standard was taken to task for being slow to deal with its mistake: “This was a serious breach of the code,” the PCC said. “The newspaper should have recognised this at an early stage and been more forthcoming in its attempts to remedy the complaint.”
Madeleine McCann: Making and making up news…
Posted: 31st, March 2008 | In: Madeleine McCann Comments (932) | TrackBack | Permalink
