Kate managed the news and controlled the English - Correio da Manhã 2007

Maddie case – Press was manipulated in exchange for photo shoots

The McCann couple took four hours to outline their strategy, went out for walks on request from the British photographers and escaped the Portuguese

Kate and Gerry McCann controlled the British media in the news coverage of their daughter’s disappearance. In order to avoid criticism from the English press, Maddie’s parents offered photo shoots, some of them during their usual morning walks in the Algarve – which were apparently routine, but previously arranged, as Kate’s notes reveal.

“The British journalists were annoyed because they found out too late that I had been in the United Kingdom. It ended up with Justine receiving loads of phone calls and arranging for a photo shoot on the way to the church, to pacify them”, Kate writes on the 5th of July, revealing a tactic that was adopted in the first days after the 3-year-old girl disappeared.

“Dress up and go for a walk. It had been requested by photographers and agreed that for sentimental reasons it would be good”. This walk happened on the 7th of June, three days after Kate registered that she had been “annoyed” about the presence of Portuguese journalists outside the apartment. Before that, on the 19th of May, the photo shoot for the English newspaper ‘Sunday Mirror’ was previously arranged: “Us spending time with the twins for the Sunday papers”.

In the same notes, Kate expresses distress about the Portuguese and the German journalists. On the 11th of June, in Morocco, after Kate made a positive evaluation of the trip because there were so many photographers present, the doctor remembers “noticing” Portuguese journalists. “We didn’t want to give them a story”, decided the McCanns, who classify the questions from the Portuguese as “sleazy and unexpected”, even after preparation meetings that last “four hours”: “I was very angry at a journalist today. I told her not to do so much detective work.”

Concerning the editor of the ‘Sun’ newspaper, on the 11th of July Kate was assured that there would be no “adverse publicity”: “She was really nice. Perfect solution”, Maddie’s mother noted.

Clarence replaced Justine when the tension rose

Clarence Mitchell was the first one to offer his face for the McCanns. He met Gerry on an occasion when the latter was returning from England, at the end of May 2007, on a time when he was part of the Consular Assistance Group, representing the Foreign Department. He took over the couple’s defense on the 22nd of May, but returned to England in the mid-summer, when he was replaced by Justine McGuinness, who directed the campaign to search for Madeleine from the 22nd of June onwards.

The tensions between the McCanns and Justine were never evident. But the fact that she abandoned the couple’s defense immediately after they were made arguidos and returned to England, remains unexplained.

Now, it becomes clear that the tension came from before. Justine and Gerry had already discussed the honoraries. The advisor wanted to receive overtime and demanded a payment that was above was had initially been agreed.

On the 28th of July, the tension between the family and the spokeswoman was obvious. Kate wrote in her notes that she [Justine] did not have good “interpersonal aptitudes” and that she could even be very “unpleasant”. Kate remembered that there had been an argument between Justine and a relative and that Gerry had tried to calm them down. “It all ended well”, Kate McCann concluded, but still seriously doubted the advisor’s character.

Journalists far away from the house

The McCanns’ first days in England were subject to intense media attention. They allowed to be photographed with their children again, after they had agreed exclusives with televisions and newspapers to cover the return.

Days later, Clarence Mitchell opted for another strategy. He agreed with the English journalists that those would never persecute the McCanns again. In exchange, the couple’s spokesman would supply fortuitous meetings, and in case the journalists would fail their compromise, he would exclude them from his contact list.

Everyone accepted. When in March CM [Correio da Manhã] tried to speak to the McCanns without going through Clarence Mitchell, we were intercepted by the police. The couple demanded for the Portuguese journalists to be forbidden from getting close to their house, and their neighbours were advised not to speak.

Robert Murat sues the McCann couple’s friends

Robert Murat, the first arguido in the case of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, is going to sue some of the McCann couple’s English friends.

According to news in yesterday’s edition of ‘Sol’ newspaper, the Anglo-British citizen is going to advance with complaints over the crimes of perjury and slanderous denunciations, alleging that the English lied in the depositions that they gave to the Polícia Judiciária with the purpose to incriminate him.

Robert Murat, who is going to receive hundreds of thousands of euros in compensation from 11 British newspapers, was made an arguido only 11 days after the little girl disappeared, on the 14th of May 2007, after several friends of Kate and Gerry McCann referred his presence in the Ocean Club apartment on the fateful evening of the 3rd of May 2007, in Praia da Luz.

Notes

Newspapers Gerry is brilliant – “Gerry was brilliant again”, Kate wrote in one of her usual accounts after the meetings with journalists, during which it was her husband who did the talking.

Maddie 14 months ago – Madeleine McCann disappeared 14 months ago from the apartment where she was on holidays with her parents, in the Algarve, on the evening of the 3rd of May 2007.

Investigation Case archived – The investigation started by focusing on the abduction theory and then on the possibility of an accidental death followed by the concealment of the cadaver. The process ended up archived.

Tomorrow: How Kate McCann lived the first day without Maddie


source: Correio da Manhã, 27.07.2008, paper edition

the McCanns, who classify the questions from the Portuguese as “sleazy and unexpected”, even after preparation meetings that last “four hours”: “I was very angry at a journalist today. I told her not to do so much detective work.”

Concerning the editor of the ‘Sun’ newspaper, on the 11th of July Kate was assured that there would be no “adverse publicity”: “She was really nice. Perfect solution”, Maddie’s mother noted.

Very revealing kate mccann

From the blog and the diary June 07:

Day 36 - 08/06/2007 - Friday
...The event was organsied by the Sun who, like almost all of the media, have been incredibly supportive. I told Nick, the Sun journalist, that we are happy to support all strategies which increase the chances of finding Madeleine. Later in the afternoon we went down to the beach and had dinner in one of the restaurants which Sean and Amelie really enjoyed. Sean, in particular has acquired a taste for sea-bass! Tommorrow will largely be a family day although I am not sure what we will be doing yet.
Day 37 - 09/06/2007 - Saturday
DATE GERRY USED Day 37 - 11/06/2007
..a short press interview for the Irish Sunday papers, mainly to thank the Irish for their fantastic level of support. We followed that with one for the British Sundays which is likely to be the last one we do for a while.
After this we headed down to Sagres which is the very most southwestern tip of Portugal. There is a very nice beach and we had lunch with the family.
Day 39 -11/06/2007 - Monday
DAY AND DATE GERRY USED Day 38 -12/06/2007
We did a couple of interviews for ITV and Sky and followed up our Newspaper interviews focussing on a change in the phase of the campaign. We confirmed that there will be a period of reflection before we decide on what is the best role for Kate and I.

From the topic June 2007.
They were totally in charge and the last remark is extremely revealing.

It seems totally inhuman to have the wherewithal to be so scheming. Clearly it was all just a "coping strategy" in the face of such heartbreak.

Love the journalist being told not to do so much detective work!
a) that is the whole point of the job
b) why not? - what are you hiding Kate?
c) and who are you to be telling others what they should do?

Pffff....I know what I think Mrs McCann, based on your very own words and phrases and those of your husband. And I know those thoughts are shared by tens of thousands, if not millions. Anyone with a modicum of intelligence would have buttoned her lip!