One interesting little footnote to the “Media and the McCanns” debate that has been raging elsewhere on this forum. During the original public debate on Wednesday Sun Columnist Kelvin MacKenzie said that this was a massive story which would continue to dominate the front pages. Indeed, he said it still added 2-3% to sales whenever it did, as when The News of the World led recently on the new drawing of a ‘suspect’. But we have also heard from Kelvin and the many posters on this blog that this issue polarises public opinion to a much greater degree than much of the mainstream media might think. One person has even suggested to me that for some newspapers it can now have a negative effect on sales.
It may be that people are now hostile to much of the coverage and so are not so keen to buy it. Of course, it may also be that after nine months of very little actually happening people are simply tiring of the story. Attempts to keep it high profile by either the family’s public relations advisors or the media themselves are becoming increasingly strained. Eventually, perhaps the normal trajectory of a crime story – even one like this without a conclusion – will reassert itself.
Over a year since this was posted and I now more than ever mistrust the media and will never buy a newspaper again. This has come about directly as a result of following this case. It has opened my eyes to issues I never realised I cared about. That is Maddie’s legacy – that so many people have had the scales fall from their eyes regarding the MSM and the Government, and will not give up wanting some justice in this case & a stop to the lies systematically being shoved down our throats.
I hope the “normal trajectory” doesn’t reassert itself. The day the MSM reports with truth and dignity in an unbiased manner is the day it may have a chance of recovery. Too idealistic? I don’t think so. The backlash against the spin and outrageous xenophobia, the threats of suing that bring about out-of-court settlements that aren’t deserved, the likes of Clarence Mitchell saying ‘no-one will dare show it (The Truth Of The Lie – Dr Amaral’s documentary) or they’ll be hearing from our lawyers’ (!) is continuing to manifest itself daily. Gobsmacking.
There is no balance any more. Parliament is now seeing that and it is fully deserved. Free speech? The net is the only place it currently exists, and even then you sometimes have to really look for it. The newspapers can close and hacks join the dole queue tomorrow, and I wouldn’t shed a tear for them. It isn’t just the Commons and the BBC that’s due a spring clean.