A Conversation for The Forum

Madeleine McCann - the elephant in the room

Post 161

swl

The Times are covering the plea bargain offer too, though it's via a 'friend of the family'. There's also a report that the forensic tests on the blood found evidence of a sedative and a syringe was found in the apartment.


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Post 162

Alfster

Having looked on other BBC message boards where posts have been hidden it would seem the BBC have got a formal policy regarding this subject.

It would be nice to know what that is since its our money thath they are using to stop us talking about it...


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Post 163

Ferrettbadger. The Renegade Master

I'm guessing its the old "potentially defamatory". The McCanns are obviously not shy about litigation and the beeb might just be nervous.

I note they are referred rather than hidden.


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Post 164

swl

I think they'd better start sueing the 'friends of the family'. They seem to be the main source of information on this.


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Post 165

swl

But the Beeb are going to look pretty stupid if it turns out two people in the news are child murderers and have been manipulating the media.


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Post 166

swl

Nothing to do with a former BBC man being hired to run the media campaign of course.


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Post 167

Effers;England.

Oh well lets go for the beeb themselves then.

I have had the pleasure of *experiencing* quite a few tv and radio thingies this week put out by *aunty* And so often any snippet about this case ends with some friend or family member of the McCanns saying how it impossible and ludicrous it could be that Kate and Gerry could have done such a thing. They give no evidence for this of course, just some kind of imploring look into the lens...and yet the beeb considers this *news*

If I went out and killed a child tomorrow, by accident or due to some weird illness like Munchausen by proxy, or whatever, I'm pretty sure my Dad would be saying to any idiot who would listen, that Fanny could never do such a thing.

For goodness sakes BBC stop letting yourself be manipulated by this situation and these people. You have a duty to your *licence payers* here in the UK, who want to discuss things that go on in another country!


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Post 168

swl

Oh look. *Now* they want to return to Britain.

"Parents of Missing British Girl Madeleine McCann Want to Leave Portugal"

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,296150,00.html

Is it getting cooler in Portugal towards the end of summer?

Or is it getting hotter?


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Post 169

Alfster

They are playing the public at every turn.

They said yesterday they were going to stay in Portugal.

The first the mother did after the questioning was to ask to hug her other kids.

Everything they do and say is PR.


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Post 170

JulesK

It certainly seems very polished PR stuff, the bits we get on TV/radio. I think that's why feelings towards them, in the wider world at least, have changed.

My question would be why alert the police that first night if they had something to hide?


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Post 171

laconian

I am torn between being fed up and being heartily amused.


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Post 172

laconian

About the Modding situation, not the case.


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Post 173

JulesK

I didn't notice anything dodgy in post 169. Too late now, can't remember...


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Post 174

swl

smiley - laughsmiley - laugh This is silly!


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Post 175

Effers;England.

Seriously, why all the modding?

Even if a crime was committed in the UK, which this isn't, doesn't sub judice apply once someone is actually charged. I remember a few months ago all sorts of discussions and speculations going on here about the thing in East Anglia which involved some prostitutes being murdered. As soon as someone was charged, it was made clear on h2g2 that the case couldn't be discussed. As it should be.

So here we have the BBC censoring certain posts in relation to a crime committed in Portugal, where no-one has yet even been charged. Does this mean that we can no longer discuss in any detail any crime committed anywhere in the world? or is this yet another example of the abject cringing of the BBC in the face of this particular crime involving little Maddie McCann. Crikey I even saw an advert for *Find Maddie* on mainstream TV a couple of weeks ago. There is no doubt that the media hype around this case is quite exceptional. But I don't understand the big sudden rash of modding.

It would be helpful to have some sort of explanation as to why it's fine to speculate about the murderers of a few junkie prostitutes in East Anglia, (before anyone was charged), but not sweet little Maddie in Portugal!!!






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Post 176

Secretly Not Here Any More

"It would be helpful to have some sort of explanation as to why it's fine to speculate about the murderers of a few junkie prostitutes in East Anglia, (before anyone was charged), but not sweet little Maddie in Portugal!"

Tsk, you know the answer as well as the rest of us. Junkie Prostitutes don't pay their TV license!


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Post 177

Ferrettbadger. The Renegade Master

Actually I think we might be suffering from short memory syndrome here.

Whilst not of the "Maddy" scale loads of posts were getting pulled during the Anglia Ripper thingy....


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Post 178

McKay The Disorganised

And now the parents are flying back to England to re-associate the little ones with their home.

Well that didn't take long to change from "We're going to fight to stay and clear our name" did it ?

It'll be interesting to see how the social services react now. They've admitted child abandonment, and they are under suspiscion concerning the disappearance of an older child.

smiley - cider


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Post 179

Hoovooloo

OK. As usual, when a post is pulled, there is no clue given as to exactly why or which bit of it is the problem. This is particularly vexing when a post makes several points. So...

Here comes post 160 again. This time in chunks, so that only the bits that are a problem can be excised...


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Post 180

swl

I don't think it's a coincidence that a BBC guy is running their Media campaign and the BBC are being so touchy on the message boards. The McCann case is the number one topic on most other boards and the moderation is normal.

Perhaps because Kate McCann (if not Gerry) is seen as 'one of their own'. Remember what Andrew Marr said - "The BBC is not impartial or neutral. It's a publicly funded, urban organisation with an abnormally large number of young people, ethnic minorities and gay people. It has a liberal bias not so much a party-political bias. It is better expressed as a cultural liberal bias", Andrew Marr, the Daily Mail, Oct 21st, 2006 and "It's not a conspiracy. It's visceral. They think they are on the middle ground", Jeff Randall, former BBC Business Editor, in The Observer, Jan 15th, 2006.

The BBC is biased so we can expect moderators to reflect that bias.


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