Will an apology, and half a million pounds, ever truly compensate the McCanns?
19th March 2008

So, news has it that the McCanns are to receive half a million pounds in compensation for the distress caused by the accusations of certain national newspapers regarding their role in the disappearance of their daughter. The money is due to head straight into the ‘Find Madeleine McCann’ fund.

This is all well and good in terms of the gesture made by said newspapers. But isn’t it about time that they apologised? And is it enough?

‘Compensation’ is not a word to adequately describe the attempted off-setting of the agony felt that has been felt by Kate and Gerry McCann since last May. Not content with following the couple’s every move, it appears that the Press’ eagerness to needlessly ‘update’ the story with unfounded speculation has contributed to a downturn in popularity, with forced apologies adorning the front pages of the Express and Star this morning. Interestingly, the presentation of said ‘apologies’ consist of the types of journalistic shorthand which, to the those who may only afford each paper a casual glance, indicates that it is in fact the McCanns themselves who are sorry. Could this be deliberate? And is the ‘apology’ a mere publicity stunt?

Of course it is. Half a million pounds is not an entirely drastic loss to a national newspaper. Irritatingly, the pretence of being ‘sorry’ will do wonders for their reputation. Readers will take the view that an apology was not necessary, and that by admitting its mistakes, the Press will gain, or retain, some form of moral high ground. And it is moral high ground that is not deserved. It is no wonder that we in Britain are losing faith in ourselves when our own national newspapers can turn so violently upon a young middle-class couple who are so obviously distraught at the disappearance of their much-loved daughter. As if the attitudes of the Portuguese police were not enough to contend with, Kate and Gerry McCann have found themselves in a strange predicament – where nobody is willing to ignore that fact that they made a careless, and stupid, mistake at leaving their children alone, and instead brutally remind them of this mistake at every opportunity rather than focusing on the matter at hand - finding Madeleine.

Those who read The Big Issue will know that the ‘missing persons’ section often features members of Britain’s working class who have been missing for months. On the face of it, then, it seems bizarre that the English press have clung for dear life to the Madeleine McCann story, inventing outrageous theories to keep their readership focused on the investigation. However, when considering said readership, it is not so strange after all. There is a worrying trend of narrow-mindedness among many Daily Express readers, and even more so an affiliation with the upper classes and conservatism. In the eyes of these people, the working classes exist to proliferate the upper classes. Their disappearances, as The Big Issue highlights, are commonplace. Yet the McCanns both held professional jobs. Their tragedy has hit the heart of Middle England, and this is where the most gullible of folk reside. The constant reporting of a story which depicts the turmoil of two married professionals with young children thus provides a goldmine for those who wish to take lunch with others and gossip upon the latest news regarding ‘that poor little girl, and her poor parents’.

In terms of its duty to fairly and sensitively provide its reading audience with news stories based on evidence, the Daily Express has failed. What is has exposed itself as is that of a bloodsucking leech – feeding off others’ despair in order to prolong its sales. The sad thing is that its readers will not desert it. On the contrary, as above mentioned, a resurgence of popularity may be the case as a response to a ‘humble’ apology. Let us just hope that the majority of Brits are not deceived, and that that extra half a million pounds can go somewhere in the still desperate struggle to uncover the whereabouts of Madeleine McCann.

Kate Edwards.