Madeleine McCann & Shannon Matthews

[Russethouse]

Is it me or is their a vast difference in media coverage ?

Why ?

[KathyF]

Not just you, RH, I've thought the same myself.  The cynic in me says that one is a very young, very cute child who goes missing in sunny, scenic Portugal, the other a pleasant looking, but older child who goes missing in unscenic, industrial Yorkshire. I'm guessing the latter doesn't push anywhere near as many media buttons. I wish someone would prove me wrong....[:(]

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

I've often wondered that. And what about all the other missing kids we never hear about?

[Hoddy]

I too think it's something to do with the fact that the journalists find an all expenses paid trip to Spain less attractive than one to Dewsbury.

In truth, large numbers of police and a considerable chunk of the community are still working very hard to find Shannon Matthews.

Hoddy

[LEO]

[quote user="Russethouse"]

Is it me or is their a vast difference in media coverage ?

Why ?

[/quote]

Another major differrence in these two cases is , there has been no negative coverage or comments in Shannon Mathews case.

[Tony F Dordogne]

Funnily enough, J and I were saying exactly the same thing yesterday, some coverage of Shannon Matthew's disappearance but not the same blanket coverage of the McCann disappearance.

Nor are Shannon Mathews parents the telegenic, middle class, well educated, articulate and well connected people that the McCanns are, with access to serious money and an ex-BBC reporter as their 'front man' which according to the BBC's Newswatch programme guest a few months ago, makes for 'the biggest human interest story so far this century'.

It probably is for the parents of Shannon Matthews, but hey ho, it's not the Algarve, they're just poor ordinary folk, living on what appears to be a poor estate in industrial Yorkshire.

[Gluestick]

Perhaps a certain similarity to the case of a certain Ms Dando?

If it had been you or I murdered on our doorstep, I doubt the media would have gone in to their usual feeding frenzy.

 

[Gardengirl]

Madeleine's father, in particular, obviously saw an immediate need to get huge publicity. And, of course, the disappearance of a little one in the night added hugely to the impact of the disappearance.

Shannon's disappearance was very different; she could well have 'just' stayed over at a friend's house; some people don't actually seem to think the friend's family will be at all concerned! I've known of a few cases like that over many years of teaching, when kids have gone missing, & we've turned out to search likely places.

I read at the wkend that no-one in the immediate family or friends was the sort of confident person who could even begin to front publicity, although I think it was her mother I heard briefly on the radio on Sunday.

Somehow there was great hope for Madeleine in the early days; I don't get that feeling about poor Shannon. As this thread shows, people are thinking about her, & would help if they could.

Jo 

[Simon]

I believe that Madeline's case recieved so much initial coverage, was because the parents were having dinner with a group of friends at a nearby restaurant while their three young chidren were left unsupervised back at the holiday appartment, and this despite the parents being a professional couple who would have been expected to know better.