1. You must use critical
tools, such as Key
Concepts and cultural/
media theories, as this
will ‘de-personalise’
your own subjective
viewpoint.
2. Furthermore, you must
avoid falling into the
trap of presenting a
personal rant, however
parents themselves, but
strong your beliefs or
The McCann
also for those of us in
views.
minefield
Media Studies-land who
3. You must try to present
It has been almost
an objective and
impossible to avoid
try to rationalise and
The West End final of the raised by the sale of
balanced argument
the acres of coverage
avoid the need for media-
London Evening Standard green and yellow bands
based on textual
emanating from the
scapegoats and easy-
(Thursday October 4th) of hope. This will be
evidence from a variety
disappearance/abduction
solutions.
illustrates this. The headline ploughed back into the
of viewpoints.
of Madeleine in the
states My Tears For Lost
Press power,
search for Madeleine.
4. Consider the
British press. This case
Maddy (see p. 36) and The accompanying
readership/circulation
is a minefield for Media
freedom and
has a splash which states photograph looms large
figures of the
students and teachers alike,
responsibility
First interview with Kate on the page (accounting
newspapers: who are
as there is so much mystery
In any democratic society
McCann since she was for about 40% of the lower
they talking to and for
surrounding the whole
there is an assumption
named as a suspect on portion) and represents
what purpose?
affair and little in the way
of freedom of speech;
the left-hand side. In the a leaden-looking Kate
5. Remember that
of conclusive evidence has
this in turn encourages
body of the copy this is McCann; she appears drawn
newspapers exist
been presented. There have
multiple viewpoints and a
repeated, and emphasises and her hair is straggly. The
in a multimedia
been claims from some
potentially confusing array
the frenzy that surrounded caption reads:
environment; large
critics of backwardness and
of arguments. Our public
the couple as they returned Feeling the pain: Kate
numbers of people now
negligence on the part of
services, such as the police,
to the UK. Interestingly, McCann tells how
get news online and
the Portuguese authorities.
are constantly being held
most of the body copy is she still weeps every
seek to get the ‘latest’
The British press have, one
to account for their policies,
direct quotation from Mrs day over her missing
with greater immediacy.
might argue, taken a rather
practice, statistics and McCann; this positions the
daughter.
What role does the press
imperialist/colonialist
crime-solving rates. With reader, at first, into a belief
play in today’s modern view of the whole affair.
a case as ‘sensitive’ as this that this is completely The mid-market
media jungle, and how They have frequently
one (i.e.: one where a child ‘truthful’. However, the context
does it report the news accused the Portuguese
is abducted mysteriously) story has of course been There is not space
in relation to other media police of incompetence,
there is tremendous subject to selection and enough in this article
sources? chasing the wrong
pressure from all sides to editing. In other words, the fully to contextualise the
6. Finally, as I have written suspects and, perhaps
nail the suspect. This can journalist and editor have massive media coverage
before in MediaMag, more alarmingly, failing
lead to scapegoating and made an ‘invisible’ decision generated by this story.
there is the issue of to ‘accuse more quickly’
illuminates a very fragile to present this ‘as she spoke The press as a whole have
taste, decency, accuracy those closely involved in
moral line that becomes it’ – when in actual fact this participated extensively
and legislation, via the the whole episode. There
the talk of everyone who may not be the case. The in the debate; but the two
contemporary morals of have been moments cares about children’s point of view created is one newspapers in particular
the time, and by those where suspicion has been welfare. Therefore, we of tremendous sympathy that have most closely
stipulated through the focused on the parents of need to consider just how for the parents. The front- tracked the unfolding story
PCC Code of Conduct the little girl herself. This powerful the British press page lead takes pains to are the Daily Mail and
and news institutions’ has been uncomfortable, is in forming opinion in reveal that: Daily Express. These mid-
own regulation. not only for the McCann the UK. ...£57,000 has been market, blue-top tabloids
english and media centre | February 2008 | MediaMagazine 35
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