Careful how you play the media

Much has been said in the media, blogosphere and the world in general about the case of the disappearance of little Madeleine McCann. What has been the most interesting of the entire case has been the part the media and the public have played in the entire saga.

When the initial story hit the news here in the United Kingdom, a distraught couple, parents Gerry and Kate McCann, harnessed the power of the media to wield a campaign that had been unheard of in recent times. And it was not only the media they appealed to, but ordinary Joe Public also was asked to help with the search. The British police and forensic specialists were called in to help. Even the prime minister said a few words.

Not only did the appeal bring forth support from such luminaries as Virgin’s Richard Branson, sports hero David Beckham, Harry Potter author JK Rowling and the pope, it also induced them — except the pope, who only blessed, I would imagine — and the public to contribute to a slush fund to offer a substantial reward to anybody who could provide evidence that would lead to the arrest of the perpetrator and, hopefully, the rescue of the live child.

In all of this hysteria, for that is what it became, a press woman fingered an English expat living in the vicinity as somebody acting strangely and he was subsequently made a suspect and his house and property combed for evidence. All this person had been doing was to provide translation services and assistance to the police. Somehow his actions had appeared suspect to this reporter and he became an official suspect and probably had his life ruined in the process. Or, if he is clever, he will make a few million from his memoirs, and they’ll make a movie with Tom Cruise in the title role.

This case of the unsuspecting suspect should have provided the McCanns with a warning about what power the press can wield. What never occurred to the couple was the fact that the press could quite easily turn on them. Once their side of the story had been milked to total dryness, they, in turn, would become the next suspects. All for the sake of selling newspapers and fighting for TV ranking.

The tabloid press, in particular, in the UK feeds on this kind of story. First up was the story and photographs of the couple with remaining children, looking wan and down about the loss of their daughter.

Then the story swings and there is the couple looking wan and down at the fact that they have been charged as suspects. The new slant of the story has revitalised the drama and has created a new super hype. One has to remember that the original story had a constant hourly update on all European news feeds for at least the first 10 weeks of the child’s disappearance.

As much as one feels sorry for the McCanns, at the same time one has to remember that they courted the power of the media and used this to further the cause of the search for their daughter. There have been many abductions of children in the world. It is rare to have this kind of exposure. The McCanns, clever people that they are, used every trick in the book to keep the publicity machine moving at a rapid pace.

One could ask why they would have wanted to do this. It is simple. By ensuring a spotlight on the case, they hoped for new evidence, possible culprits to be exposed and sightings of their daughter to be reported; in other words, they appealed to the media and the citizens of the world to assist the police in the search.

There were posters of this child in major cities and public areas. Newscasts on TV and front pages in the newspapers featured details of her over a prolonged period of time. Football matches showed video of the little girl, and other ceremonies — such as an audience with the pope — provided exposure and publicity. They travelled Europe and North Africa in their quest to expose the story and allow the world to see their pain and suffering.

All of these activities were designed to use the media and indirectly the man in the street to assist the police in finding the child. The problem with this scenario is that nobody is able to control the media or the public. At some stage the tail wags the dog. With other words, those that have been manipulated to perform suddenly turn around and manipulate others to perform — in this instance, the McCanns themselves.

Seeing the shock on their faces yesterday as they landed back in the UK, one feels sorry for them. But at the same time, one is almost inclined to say that manipulating the media and people as they did — and they had spokespersons popping up when necessary when they were unable to provide the visuals and the sound bites themselves — could backfire at any stage.

And backfire it did. It doesn’t actually matter whether the McCanns had anything to do with the disappearance of their daughter. That isn’t the issue here at all. The issue is that they called the shots regarding the media and what the ordinary citizens were told. They interfered with the local police investigations by encouraging the media to promote a people’s search. Even their home priest made the trip to Portugal to “assist”. The local Catholic church wasn’t good enough to provide spiritual support.

One can understand what the McCanns were trying to do. They were living in their temporary abode, in a foreign country with probably very limited local language skills and Scottish Gerry McCann’s English barely understandable to English speakers, never mind Europeans. It must have been overwhelming for the McCanns, who would have wanted to help and assist in whatever way they could. Let’s keep her alive and in the media spotlight, they said constantly.

At some stage, the media, the people and the police actually were manipulated and pushed too far. Or they were bored with the whole story. Or they wanted revenge for being manipulated. Or the local police, for instance, were surely offended by the fact that their competence was questioned.

Whatever the reasons, the entire publicity machine turned on the McCanns. It was almost inevitable. The feeding frenzy is now against them. The very same media that were crying with them are accusing them of murder. The very same citizens who passed around posters are pointing fingers. And the police, instead of searching for the child, have officially nominated them as suspects.

The situation is the same for any other human being who wants to be famous, achieves that dubious distinction, has a “honeymoon” period of positive exposure and ends up being hounded by the press. A whole industry, including its own dedicated photography pack, the paparazzi, lives off it.

But of course they can, because the people want it, and do they want it. They are loving the idea that the McCanns could have killed their own daughter. Well, anyway, until next week. Then something new will catch the attention of the media and the people, and the McCanns will be free hopefully to pick up the pieces of their lives and carry on. Or they will be charged and a whole new drama will start up to entertain the masses.