Missing Madeline - Anyone else sick of this?

thebaz

like many here , as much as i feal for Madeline and her parents , i wondered why sky were giving it such interest -- then i heard them say that the most popular items on there website , are Madeline downloads and videos, so i guess they are just giving there customers what they want -- the coverage is limited in Ireland , so we can't complain what the Brits do .

Thomas_S_Hunterson

Private Eye hit the nail on the head in their current issue.

Reporters have absolutely nothing to do over there, but provided they keep re-iterating the same old crap, people will keep watching.

It's disgusting really. The media hopped on Murat as a scapegoat and something that would keep the sheep viewing. Another sad case of an open trial on Fleet Street.

thebaz

sean_keevey wrote:

Private Eye hit the nail on the head in their current issue.

Reporters have absolutely nothing to do over there, but provided they keep re-iterating the same old crap, people will keep watching.

It's disgusting really. The media hopped on Murat as a scapegoat and something that would keep the sheep viewing. Another sad case of an open trial on Fleet Street.

The viewers and readers can choose what they watch and read , i assume the media are only providing what the public want , they are hardly forcing people to read or watch there content

Thomas_S_Hunterson

However prejudicing an innocent man amounts to nothing short of a breach of British law, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, just about every code of ethics and moral conduct etc. etc. etc.

Especially when it's just to perpetuate a story in the mind of the public on whimsical notions of a civic duty.

whiskeyman

thebaz wrote:

The viewers and readers can choose what they watch and read , i assume the media are only providing what the public want , they are hardly forcing people to read or watch there content

Too right.
My original post was having a go at the media hype, but was also having a go at the hype brought on about by people who chose to watch, digest and wallow in the hype and get so emotionally attached to this story and keep harping on about it as if it was their daughter who was missing. The media coverage may have a postitive effect due to coverage of this one case, that I'll admit, but they're not doing it as the moral crusade these viewers would like to believe. If so, why not do it for all missing kids as has been mentioned too many times here.
Just happened to be at the g/f's house today when she had Sky News on (she knows my view, but still watches the crap) when I saw 'Breaking News' that 'The Prince of Wales is shocked by the story and is following events closely'. Breaking News???!?!?! WTF??? Unbelieveable...

Blondie86Star

Completely agree whiskeyman.

This is the perfect opportunity for other media outlets to act on missing children reports, Im sure the McCanns would like to see a huge positive effect coming from it.

As for sky news they seem to have breaking news on ever minute. Right now there top story is madelines parents:sighting is significant...

thebaz

When England beat Australia at home in cricket, a smaller country at that, they ran with this headline for nearly 2 weeks, the media saturation of this story was unbelievable .. it seams the slightest newsworthy event, requires a Breaking News exclusive headline, and there TV schedule to get wiped ...

Saintly

The Gopher wrote:

Holy christ. "Giving a fright" for such ridicilous behaviour benefits because the parents will never do it again unless they are complete idiots. To be frank Im embarrased that such an obvious question was even asked.

I understand, you're shocked and stunned and appalled a lot on this thread. Embarrassment had to crop up sometime!

TheGopher wrote:

Again I ask, exactly how much of a massive cost to the taxpayer is a 15 minute telling off from a social worker?

Again I tell you! - The high probability of a great big stinking lawsuit!! Think of all those angry taxpayers...

TheGopher wrote:

They are crap, irresponsible parents, simple as.

In your thankfully unqualified opinion.

Saintly

Stabshauptmann

thebaz wrote:

The viewers and readers can choose what they watch and read , i assume the media are only providing what the public want , they are hardly forcing people to read or watch there content

Thats hardly the definition of good journalism

thebaz

Kaptain Redeye wrote:

Thats hardly the definition of good journalism

Never said Sky were good journalists, but you can't complain about providing the UK public with what they want, if they didn't provide the public with what they want, someone else would. The BBC 24 hour service is pretty good and balanced , but the reality is even with adds people still prefer the glossier more sensationalist Sky spin.

Faerie

I've been trying to ignore this thread for a while now but it's really disgusting me.

First of all, if the news coverage is bothering you, turn over the channel.

If you're not interested in the story that's fine but, and I know this has been mentioned by other posters, most people clearly are - Sky only show what people want to watch!

The most important point I think is this : All this coverage could mean someone sees the child and she's therefore found, so would you really deny her parents and family all this coverage? They are trying to keep it in the media in the hope that she will be found.

The blaming of the parents is hardly constructive - they made a mistake so do you think this is how they should be punished? Do you think that they don't deserve their child back or something?

As for the points made about other missing children, well why don't you go and make sure they get media coverage and hype? It might be sad that they don't get it, but does that mean no-one should get because it's unfair?

Finally, I think that most of the people who have posted giving out about the coverage don't genuinely believe what they have written. It's for the 'shock value'. They way so many of you are talking about it like it's an absract topic is pretty sick - this is a real child and arguing about the 'fairness' of the coverage is ridiculous.

BigTommyBomb

The most important point I think is this : All this coverage could mean someone sees the child and she's therefore found, so would you really deny her parents and family all this coverage? They are trying to keep it in the media in the hope that she will be found.

Or the people who captured her are shocked with the 60 news vans in the town that they just decide to kill the girl and dissolve her body in a vat of acid. Thats what the Sky news viewers are responsible for, a little innoncent girls body rotting away in a barrel of acid. Scum.

lemansky

Faerie wrote:

I've been trying to ignore this thread for a while now but it's really disgusting me.

Right,so we should turn off the news if its bothering us.I have.If this thread is bothering you,then take your own advice and don't look at it.

Also all the coverage may equally be responsible for her ultimately not being found,just as much as it could be responsible for finding her.Other stories deserving as much attention didn't get a look in.Why?Simple.We were seeing non stop coverage of nothing happening in Portugal.Constructive?No.Annoying?Yes.Don't report if theres nothing to report.
Also Sky etc made the initial hype themselves over this,nobody came to thwm and asked them in the beginning.As has been pointed out a number of children have gone missing since this started....Sky didn't start a big campaign over that.

PeakOutput

Faerie wrote:

It might be sad that they don't get it, but does that mean no-one should get because it's unfair?

its not only unfair its grossly hypocritically.........

im only gonna start reading this thread now so im sure ill be back in a while to comment further lol

Call Me Jimmy

Faerie wrote:

First of all, if the news coverage is bothering you, turn over the channel.

This has been repeated over and over again but are we not allowed to be a critical of sky news? As a media organisation do they not have any journalistic ethics to adhere to? Any time we have a problem we must stay quiet and ignore it, even though this here is a discussion forum for discussing issues.

PeakOutput

ok i got bored of idiots on page 7

the parents are being exploited by the media. yes it is what they want and rightly so HOWEVER if you think the media are doing it out of any sort real sympathy you need to move to the real world. the timing of this story is perfect for the media as it is between march and june(give or take a month or two) that the viwer numbers are totted up so they can decide on their advertising fees for the next year.

as a direct result of the media attention there has been a huge outpouring of support from the public and the states involved. the externalities(big word learnt it recently chuffed i got to use it in a sentence) of the situation are ridicolous and while it is brilliant for this one particular "insiginificant(lets be blatantly honest here)" little girl, in that of anyone who has gone missing she has the most chance of being found, it is completely out of proportion with what usually happens in the world around us and the reasons for that are debateable but it cannot be completely un-connected to the fact she is from a middle class white english family.

the MAJOR tradgedy is not that this girl has been taken it is that we accept the fact that all the other girls/boys/men/women are taken without batting an eyelid but we will sit in front of sky news on our couch eating popcorngoing "awww thats horrible" maybe even looking a little teary eyed and yet the next day still not doing anything about it even in a small way(im probably guilty of this myself).

the sad truth of the matter is that she is more than likely dead and imo that is as a direct result of the hyped up media coverage...............kidnappers take her(as im sure they have taken girls before) they have a plan to do whatever sick things they can BUT then all of a sudden there is media everywhere the picture is posted everywhere and the fact that the world and their mother knows madelines face makes her useless to them. what do they do??? no they do not drop her off at a corner to be found........they kill her and dispose of the body........

now even though this is the most likely outcome we do not pour money and effort into stopping whatever criminal ring did this in the first place and did all the other tradgedies around the place we pour the money and effort into a futile attempt at giving ONE family a happy ending at the expense of numerous others that do not fit in with our social / economic / geographical standing.


i should add that i think that some people will always personalise a story and some people will look at it objectivly neither are right or wrong its just how different people deal with different things and if you personalise a story then you are going to be affected at a base level by this missing girl but if you look at it objectively you won't and that is why there will never be an agreement in this thread

Eglinton

FFS!!! The world's priorities gone mad.

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2007/0527/breaking29.htm

whiskeyman

Eglinton wrote:

FFS!!! The world's priorities gone mad.

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2007/0527/breaking29.htm

this is all getting a bit surreal now...

mikemac

Eglinton wrote:

FFS!!! The world's priorities gone mad.

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2007/0527/breaking29.htm

Just annouced on Newstalk that the Pope has agreed to meet them.

mikemac

Eglinton wrote:

FFS!!! The world's priorities gone mad.

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2007/0527/breaking29.htm

Just annouced on Newstalk that the Pope has agreed to meet them.
I don't know if they are Catholic or not

whiskeyman

micmclo wrote:

I don't know if they are Catholic or not

Doubt it matters. It's just a publicity campaign now IMO. Has Bono come into help yet? I'm expecting a 'Madeline - Aid" style concert anytime soon now with balloons, yellow ribbons, candles, video montages before each act...
Didn't they already have a planned minute silence for her last week? Think I heard somewhere about that. EDIT: Yup - here we go http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6677037.stm

Töpher

I can't believe the media haven't been slating the parents for being two bloody morons. That, I would watch.

Don't get me wrong, I'm sorry for them; but if a parents from Tallaght (or the equivalent) went abroad and reported one of their children missing, after feeling like they were being watched and then deciding to go out for a meal and leaving the windows open - can you imagine the uproar? Social Services would have taken away their other kids after deeming them unfit negligent parents.

ejmaztec

This thread seems to have gone the same way as the Sky News saturation-story that it set out to criticise, endlessly repeating the same old pros and cons for the past two weeks. I think that Whiskeyman is really Rupert Murdoch.

thebaz

Einst&#252 wrote: »

I can't believe the media haven't been slating the parents for being two bloody morons. That, I would watch.

Don't get me wrong, I'm sorry for them; but if a parents from Tallaght (or the equivalent) went abroad and reported one of their children missing, after feeling like they were being watched and then deciding to go out for a meal and leaving the windows open - can you imagine the uproar? Social Services would have taken away their other kids after deeming them unfit negligent parents.

another helpfull, acurate , and original post --

for what its worth, the parents are self made people from lower / middle class backgrounds --- not that this should matter a bit .

they've admitted that they have made a mistake , they've paid a horrific price , so give it a rest !!

melekalikimaka

god god is this still going on. flippin disgrace :mad:

Blondie86Star

melekalikimaka wrote:

god god is this still going on. flippin disgrace :mad:

The disgrace is the media circus around the whole event

Thomas_S_Hunterson

Eglinton wrote:

FFS!!! The world's priorities gone mad.

lol @ pun:D

lemansky

micmclo wrote:

Just annouced on Newstalk that the Pope has agreed to meet them.

Its bloody ridiculous.

Thomas_S_Hunterson

Free holidays perhaps?

Blondie86Star

I heard some businessman was giving him the use of his private jet to go look for her....