McCanned, McNews
To admit that you have not heard mention of the name Madeline McCann is to confess that you haven’t picked up a newspaper or watched televised news broadcasting in the past year. Abducted in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on May 3, 2007, the angelic three-year old — the British version of JonBenet Ramsey — has become a media obsession in Europe and elsewhere. While her parents were dining with friends a short distance away, “Maddy” was taken from the family’s holiday apartment, where she lay sleeping with her two younger siblings. Since Madeline’s disappearance, the media coverage of the story has led anyone and everyone who has remotely followed it on a wild goose chase. Madeline’s story is one to be remembered, as it reminds us that the media lens is opaque and not transparent, especially when what is true will be subordinated to what is newsworthy. More »
