Madeleine: How much coverage is appropriate?
By Andrew Grant-Adamson • May 19th, 2007 • Category: JournalismComplaints of excessive coverage of the Madeleine McCann abduction story has been answered by the BBC: it is has been bringing in "very high news audiences". The same is likely to apply to other TV news channels and the newspapers that have provided blanket coverage.
Kevin Blackhurst, controller of BBC News 24, responds in The Editors blog to Simon Jenkins who complained in the Guardian: "The coverage has been absurdly over the top and cannot have served the interests of the family, or the eventual cause of justice." On the otherhand many, including the parents, believe that continued reporting provides the best hope of finding the little girl.
Jenkins wrote:
In this voracious feeding frenzy the media presence in Portimao was reduced to extremes of invention to justify the prominence the story was getting back home. We learned of false sightings, car chases, child traffickers, barren women, beach paedophiles and dark dungeons. A "suspect" was enveloped in private detective work way beyond any consideration for natural justice. The sympathy a reader or viewer was bound to feel for the McCanns was overwhelmed in an exploitative swarm. Star footballers were signed up, as were Hell’s Angels, MPs wearing yellow ribbons and ministers meeting deputations. It was as if a missing child were this year’s Make Poverty History campaign.
But he concluded:
The British press plays hard cop to the soft cop of the British constitution. It goes where politics dares not tread, certainly the present pusillanimous parliament that still cannot find a way of holding the government to account for Iraq, as congress is finally doing in America. The press does not operate with any sense of proportion, judgment or self-restraint because it is selling stories, not running the country. The unshackled and irresponsible press sometimes gets it wrong. But I still prefer it, warts and all, to a shackled and responsible one.
Last night ITV had a long interview with a woman who said she had seen Madeleine in Morocco. The woman appeared sincere and convinced but is that enough to devote minutes to her story when experience tells us missing persons stories always result in large numbers of "sightings"? Yet it is part of the narrative strand of the story in that it provides some of the hope which keeps the story at the top of the bulletin and on the front pages.
In the sense that it helps "sell" the news it is good journalism, but I doubt that it will help find Madeleine. In the meantime, other stories are forced off the air and pages. Or as Alexander Chancellor put it, also in yesterday’s Guardian:
There is something shameful about the whole business - the treatment of a single human tragedy as if it were a major international event, the deployment of countless reporters at great expense to report on nothing. Has everyone forgotten what journalism is for?
Andrew Grant-Adamson is Andrew Grant-Adamson is a journalist who now teaches a new generation of writers, subs and editors at the University of Westminster.
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It is against the law in the UK to leave a child under 12 alone in the house. The NSPCC says that small babies and toddlers should not be alone even for a few minutes.
The Portuguese Police ignored Madeleine McCann for 24 hours, probably because it was a low crime zone. This lax attitude was probably recognized by a potential paedophile who targeted the area.
Now is the time for families to stop paedophiles stalking or harassing them. Now is the time for the public to question lone strangers taking photographs of other people’s children at the beach. Some of these photos finish up on perverts’ websites who claim them as their own.
I have been pestered on holiday. I had my 2 year old safely strapped in the buggy, mainly because little legs cannot walk very far. This middle-aged man persisted, kept telling me that my baby was too big to be riding around in a buggy. This happened in public places frequented by tourists and there seemed to be no figures of authority to turn to. He may have been joking, but his demeanour told me otherwise.
Concerned parent
I’m sorry but it really irks me that media commentators like to pick up on “hysteria” or “too much coverage” when a family suffers a tragedy or there is an outpouring of grief for a national figure. Do they actually ever leave their desks to talk to any other sorts of people as opposed to their middle class clique?
The continued coverage of this case is a tribute to the parents - they are desperately trying to keep their daughter’s disappearance in the public eye.
Perhaps I’m thick but I can’t see what’s wrong with a concerned public or media displaying their support for a family in such a heartbreaking situation, but then I’ve only been a working journalist for 16 years.
If we must pontificate about “what journalism is for” I’d like to add that I thought it was supposed to connect with its audience and report and reflect a society’s concerns - as one of those is keeping all our kids’ safe - why the hell shouldn’t we keep this sad case in the front of the paper?
I watched the parents on Newsround this afternoon with my two eight year old daughters, I cried and gave them a hug - they asked questions and we talked about the story. That’s great journalism from the BBC in my humble opinion.
As some one says … its illegal to leave a child under 12 along in the UK. So I think they were very wrong to leave their child alone in the apartment. I am sick of the news coverage - its teir fault for leaving the child in the first place. It took them 2 weeks to say how sorry they were for leaving her, while they are still happy to say “send us money”. What about the poor news reporter missing for a lot longer - theres no large press coverage about him, or his family moaning on that they need money.
If they had taken proper care of their child in the first place then this would not have happened.
Roll on the press coverage for big Brother.
today. As the parents of the abducted british girl, Madeline McCann, make their way to Rome for an audience with the Pope some are asking whether there’s been too much coverage of this case in the media. This is a question the BBC itself answered last week and one being debated on this yahoo forum . What do you think? Is too much being made of this little girls disappearance, or should every thing possible be done to keep her story in the public eye until she’s found? Is the search for Madeline
[...] been too much coverage of this case in the media. This is a question the BBC itself answered last week and one being debated on this yahoo forum . What do you think? Is too much being made of this [...]
I pity any child who goes missing, or who is abducted right now(god forbid either)because the monopoly for publicity seems to have been well and truly reserved and covered for the Madelene search. It would be interesting to see statistics about how many other children have been reported missing in the past few weeks in other countries within Europe and North Africa. This was after all a (nearly) 4 year old, left alone with two other YOUNGER siblings in the room. I am not heartless, although I concede that my entry reads like it, but could we have some perspective, and consistency. The publicity given here sets a dangerous presidence, that would surely have to be followed for the next tragedy.
(Sat 19 May) Wordblog [info] replies to The British media does not do responsibility. It does stories
Yeah, it was sad a little girl went missing, but I got over it and I assume everyone else in the world did pretty quickly.
They shouldn’t have left her alone in the apartment and we shouldn’t be bombarded with this crazy amount of media coverage. NO ONE CARES ANYMORE.
After telling everyone she’s missing then they should only report again if she is found.
And what good was the pope blessing the picture of her? Religion is a waste of time.
Give me some other news for a change.
I watch Jon Stewert instead… and I’m not American, so normally couldn’t give two shits about American politics, but it’s a lot more entertaining then seeing Madeleine’s parents vein crusade day after day after day.
The McCann’s are only getting coverage because they are RICH.
If this was a poor kid no-one would care.
I cannot believe the Mccanns , I feel sorry for the little girl madeline but if her parents did not spend their time partying without their children they would not be in the situation they are now. I have checked out their website today and cannot believe what Gerry says : We have been advised that legally our behaviour was well within the bounds of responsible parenting and subsequently been assured that no action will be taken. that is a joke if had happened to a poor family what would have happened. also it seems they are flying around on the ‘money and becoming famous’. i never left my child on his own without adult supervision in this country let alone another one!! we should see them for what they really are