how much is too much?

Now this might be very contentious, but so what.

I’m sick of the Madeleine McCann story. Up front I want to say that it is a terrible thing if she has been abducted, and I’m not making light of the situation, but it’s the ridiculous behaviour of the media and the public which riles me. We know that 20 odd days ago she went missing (we don’t actually know that she was abducted, but I suppose it’s a fair guess). Since then the following things have happened:

The parents have had a meeting with the pope
The pope has blessed a framed photograph of the child
Topshop owner Sir Phillip Green has loaned the parents his private jet.
The sky news website has created a ‘madeleine’ section alongside ‘world news’, ‘politics’, ‘business’ and ‘money’.
Martin Johnson the former England rugby captain has set up an appeal fund for the family which now stands at over £374,000.
There is a Madeleine McCann page on Myspace, a group on Facebook and a page on Wikipedia
There is a £2.6 million reward for information which leads to her discovery
Footballers Christiano Ronaldo, John Terry, Paulo Ferreira, David Beckham, Nuno Valente, Manuel Fernandes, Phil Neville and Neil Lennon have all individually appeared on TV to make appeals
A video was played to fans in Glasgow before the UEFA cup final
A video was played in the stadium at half time during the FA cup final
Liverpool FC posed with a banner before the Champions League final
The England cricket team wore yellow ribbons during their test match against the west indies
A picture of Madeleine was also shown throughout the entire test match.
Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and John Prescott have all made personal statements regarding the disappearence.
An official website has been set up to find Madeleine
There was a national one minutes silence organised for May 21st.
The Sun has flown a psychic to Portugal to look for Madeleine
The News of the World has made a 10metre inflatable billboard and is touring with it around Europe

And much much more.

Now, as I said, it’s a terrible thing if she has been taken, but I am starting to agree with some commentators, that the response has been mawkish and over zealous. The story has had little real content since it’s beginning, with no strong leads and a couple of misguided arrests. It has been headline news every day for nearly a month, overshadowing some major world events, including a change in Prime Minister.

I am aware that I should be careful with my words, so I will use the words of portugal’s ‘Publico’ paper, that “the reaction is due to the fact that Madeleine is white, English and the daughter of doctors”.

Just so you know, there were 798 child abductions in Britain in the last yearly period for which figures are available (2003-2004). Since the disappearance of Madeleine on May 3, another 450 young people (under 18) have gone missing in Britain.

Comments

[Disappointed]

In response to "How Much is too Much" If this person were in the McCann's shoes would he give up trying everything possible to get his/her child found?

If you sick of the story, you dont have to read it!!

[Eric B]

I agree - If I was the Father of this child and I could afford not to work (as it seems the case as they have not returned back to England yet), then I would be staying in the portuguese town waiting for the news about my child. In the USA, this leaving children alone like that would be open for criminal charges against the parents. I wished the Pope had made this a perfect time to let European parents know that leaving children alone and unattended even for a short period is not right and should never be done. I do hope that they find the little girl safe and sound and if it is found that she just wandered away by herself, I hope these parents will start speaking against leaving children unattended. There will probably be a Law and Order episode about this next year, hopefully it isn't Anti-Catholic like a lot of the episodes are.

[Nicola]

How could you ever think such things: a family has lost their little girl, they should be allowed and supported to do ALL they can to help find her... They are helpless; they need everyones backing and your options seal that girls fate and future! Think twice before you become irritated with the harsh events in our lives.

[Sara]

To the person who said "How much is too much" I hope you are kidnapped and nobody comes looking for you, as that is what you deserve.

[tam]

I think the point of keeping the Madeleine story in the news is to make the public aware of her as a missing child. There are still a fair amount of people who don't know the situation. As a parent, I would do what ever it took to get my child back. Once a child is abducted hours, days & weeks become a precious commodity in getting them back home. Irregardless of the status of the parents, little Madeleine is a helpless child that does not deserve to go through this, as with all other children suffering & missing. It is a wee bit insensitive to imply that there is too much coverage. Until she is returned safely, there can not be enough coverage. Perhaps if we treated all our missing children cases like this, there might just be a bit more unity in finding them.

[fosta]

UPDATE: front page headline news in britain's most popular newspaper: a butterfly lands on Kate McCanns hair.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2007250201,00.html

in other news, 7 people are dead after their helicopter was shot down in afghanistan, 25 civilians are dead after a suicide bomb in fallujah, five Britons have been kidnapped by hostile forces in Sadr City, Vladimir Putin has tested intercontinental nuclear missiles described as the "most serious confrontation between Russia and the West since the end of the Cold War".

Come on people.

[j]

well said, about what you said in your post and by the way I think some people that read it probably didn't quite understand what you were trying to say. I think you made some pretty good points and I think it shows how the media only focus on what is going to sell. If it was a fat spotty ugly kid I don't think they'd be making the same fuss.

[Keir]

totally agree - don't have anything else to say about it but I wanted to show my support when who express this view are likely to be attacked by those who are being manipulated.

[aldo]

I'm with you and Brian on this.

No one's denying it's sad and traumatic for the family, but is it any more traumatic for one family or another? It's not the cause it's just the proportion that's out of kilter. Particularly if your son/daughter has just been killed fighting for your country in a distant and desolate place.

Whatever the coverage - it's still more worthy than putting big brother coverage on the front pages.

[Sam]

I think, unless you are being almost wilfully obtuse, it is possible to recognise that:
(a) having a child kidnapped is a horriffic experience, and that
(b) the press coverage of this story has been utterly ridiculous.
From the first day - when the BBC had 2 reporters on the ground saying absolutely nothing - it was evident that the media was going to wet itself over this, but what has surprised me has been how far and for how long it has run.

If anyone wants to find little Maddie (TM), it's getting to the point where I'd almost suggest looking in Colin Myler's cellar.