Richard Desmond defends coverage of Madeleine McCann disappearance

Richard Desmond defends coverage of Madeleine McCann disappearance
 
Daily Express owner says in BBC interview that his papers’ reporting was ‘fair’, despite having to pay out more than £500,000 in defamation settlements

Mark Sweeney

Wednesday 17 June 2015 18.31 BST Last modified on Wednesday 17 June 2015 18.33 BST

Richard Desmond defended his newspapers’ reporting of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance in a BBC interview as “fair”, despite having to pay more than £500,000 to settle defamation claims concerning the coverage.

In an extraordinary interview on BBC Radio 4’s Media Show on Wednesday, in which he also said he had no regrets aligning his media empire with Ukip, Desmond was asked if he regretted the way Gerry and Kate McCann were treated by his publications following the disappearance of their daughter in 2007.

“Do I regret [it]? No, I think we reported it very fairly,” he said. “The McCanns had a PR company that wanted [them] to be on [the] front page. They wanted to be on the front page, to keep the story live.”

Desmond, who also took umbrage at the description of his adult TV channels and former magazines as pornographic in the interview, defended the 100-plus articles that appeared in his Express and Star titles about the missing child.

In March 2008, Desmond’s Northern & Shell paid out £550,000 to settle defamation claims over more than 100 different articles and published a front-page apology in all his newspapers.

Desmond also said in the interview that he has no regrets about personally donating £1.3m to Ukip.

“Thank God I did that; supported Ukip,” he said. “Thank God the Daily Express listened to its readers. The readers are fed up with being controlled by Brussels, we are fed up with uncontrolled immigration. We like immigration, but uncontrolled immigration cannot carry on.
“And I’m delighted that there’ll be an European Union referendum. When we hear how David Cameron negotiates we will make our minds up.”
 
Desmond also said he has no problem with talking about his past as a proprietor of adult magazines, and being the current owner of adult TV stations Fantasy Channel and Red Hot, he simply did not want them referred to as pornographic.

“I’m very happy to talk about Penthouse,” he said. “I’m very happy to talk about the magazines that we published, which we sold 12 years ago. What I don’t like is the other word. For me that word I think of Paul Raymond, I think of drugs, I think of prostitution, I think of David Sullivan … stuff which is pornography. For me, I’m a media group.”

“Most media groups, including the BBC, do work in some way with adult material,” he said. “Ofcom were delighted we bought Channel 5 as we have a good rapport with them. Our adult channels are carried on Sky, Virgin, carried on Freeview, which I believe is owned by the BBC, carried on YouView.”
 
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/jun/17/richard-desmond-defends-coverage-of-madeleine-mccann-disappearance

“The McCanns had a PR company that wanted [them] to be on [the] front page. They wanted to be on the front page, to keep the story live.”

Second time someone said this in a couple of weeks.

I wonder what all the people who donated to the fund think of that?

Not searching... PR...

I listened in full to the evidence he gave at Leveson. He ( or one of his journalist 's) stood by what  had been printed and stated he only settled the court case because he could not divulge his source. He also slipped in that he had been vindicated when the PJ files were released to the public. I bet Desmond can't wait for TM to face justice. Bet he will go to town on coverage.

I guess Kate will smile a little less after reading that article.

Slowly, slowly they are being unmasked for the frauds they are.

lj wrote:I guess Kate will smile a little less after reading that article.

Slowly, slowly they are being unmasked for the frauds they are.

YUP!

"Overwhelming evidence shows that Madeleine McCann died in or near apartment 5A at the Ocean Club Resort in Praia da Luz in Portugal. Madeleine met her demise sometime between May 1 and May 3. The Fund they set up to look for Madeleine is fraudulent if any person involved in the case knew Madeleine was dead at the time it was set up. If you made a donation to the Madeleine Fund and are not happy with how your donation has been spent,  we can form a group who can litigate against Madeleine's Fund: Leaving No Stone Unturned Limited."

Ex DCI Redwood (IO@OG for 3 1/2 YEARS)................."There is always the potential that she didn't leave the apartment alive. What is important for us to do is consider all the options," he said.

'IMPORTANT for us to DO, IS 'consider'..........."ALL" the 'options'?

Options?, OPTIONS?

So, NOT 'ONLY' Met 'remit' ............'THE ABDUCTION'?

snook wrote:I listened in full to the evidence he gave at Leveson. He ( or one of his journalist 's) stood by what  had been printed and stated he only settled the court case because he could not divulge his source. He also slipped in that he had been vindicated when the PJ files were released to the public. I bet Desmond can't wait for TM to face justice. Bet he will go to town on coverage.

In retrospect, I suspect he was annoyed that they settled when they did.  Had he known that the PJ files were to be released not long after, they would have been able defend their position and their stories.  Unfortunately without the files, even though the information was largely accurate, they had to settle.  However, given the profits they made (and continue to make) from the stories, the (tax deductible) £550k was a complete bargain - so it was probably an easy decision at the time.

I'm not convinced that constant Madeleine stories on the front pages generated extra sales, or at least anything worth anything.

BlueBag wrote:

“The McCanns had a PR company that wanted [them] to be on [the] front page. They wanted to be on the front page, to keep the story live.”

Second time someone said this in a couple of weeks.

I wonder what all the people who donated to the fund think of that?

Not searching... PR...

Very neat, Bell Pottinger's fee was half a million and Desmond paid the McCs  more or less the same amount.

Just a 'reminder'

And it is worth bashing home the point, yet again, (even if only to annoy the supporters of Child Neglect and Cruelty)
The McCanns have NEVER won a libel action.
Not one. Ever.
McC -v-TB was NOT a libel action
McC-v-Dr Amaral - even the recent one, was NOT a libel action
All the papers settled out of court, there were no proceedings.
Their highly paid and brilliant lawyers have been extremely skilful, and have managed to keep them out of the witness box
in the full knowledge that once there they would be destroyed by the first two well placed questions.
As was the hapless Mrs Martorell by TB's single question !

And, it's worth 'bashing home' at every 'opportunity', the FACT that the shutter of G5A was 'NOT SMASHED'

Even though, 5 (FIVE) HOURS, after KM knew, KNEW, that was TRUE, she told JC, in Liverpool, at 3am, 4th May, 2007, to tell the UK Madia, that, 'the shutter WAS SMASHED' (and that's how 'abductor' got 'in')

jeanmonroe wrote:And, it's worth 'bashing home' at every 'opportunity', the FACT that the shutter of G5A was 'NOT SMASHED'

Even though, 5 (FIVE) HOURS, after KM knew, KNEW, that was TRUE, she told JC, in Liverpool, at 3am, 4th May, 2007, to tell the UK Madia, that, 'the shutter WAS SMASHED' (and that's how 'abductor' got 'in')

Jeanmonroe, I am convinced that it was a plan that went horrible wrong. There are far too many coincidences for it to be anything else.

sallypelt wrote:

jeanmonroe wrote:And, it's worth 'bashing home' at every 'opportunity', the FACT that the shutter of G5A was 'NOT SMASHED'

Even though, 5 (FIVE) HOURS, after KM knew, KNEW, that was TRUE, she told JC, in Liverpool, at 3am, 4th May, 2007, to tell the UK Madia, that, 'the shutter WAS SMASHED' (and that's how 'abductor' got 'in')

Jeanmonroe, I am convinced that it was a plan that went horrible wrong. There are far too many coincidences for it to be anything else.

Not gone 'wrong', per se, Madeleine is 'missing' ('hidden' in luxury 'lair' in UK?) but 'reliant' on the 'main players' getting their 'crib sheet' lines RIGHT!

'Entry, front door/patio door, locked/unlocked door, used their 'keys', didn't use their 'keys',  Maddie's pyjamas', Tannerman, shutter, cuddlecat, 'running back to tapas, without twins, with unknown 'abductor' in the 'area', JW 'went back to bed' (NO 'searching' for him!) GM 'crossing' street, JW 'crossing' street, JT not 'seen' by GM/JW, even though she was on the same pavement, as she 'passed' them, within three feet of them, DW 'No, I did not 'see' Matt, DW 'Oh , erm YES, I 'did' see Matt, etc.,'

Brain 'fade/fart/leakage' by all the 'main' players!

All in all, imo, 'the biggest c*ck up, in the world' (ref: Robert M)

The police would have realised from the outset that the shutter was not smashed or forced. The first and probably biggest error on the initial examination was to allow KM to be interviewed with her husband with her husband present. Huge HUGE mistake.

Lands_end wrote:The police would have realised from the outset that the shutter was not smashed or forced. The first and probably biggest error on the initial examination was to allow KM to be interviewed with her husband with her husband present. Huge HUGE mistake.

That is for me the most important and as we see, pivotal mistake they made.
If one of my officers had done this I would have summarily chucked them off the investigation, and put them back counting traffic cones.

First change of story.
This change relates to the shutters’ being damaged
The first police statements were taken during the morning of 4th May 2007, by which time the
story had already changed in regard to the shutters having been damaged. Now they are
merely “raised”.
It is also notable that all reference to the door being open, or hanging open has been quietly
dropped.
Gerald McCann, statement, 4 May 2007: 11:15 a.m.
“. . . Thus, at 9.05 pm, the deponent entered the club, using his key, the door being locked,
and went to the children's bedroom and noted that the twins and Madeleine were in perfect
condition. . .
“. . . At 10pm, his wife Kate went to check on the children. She went into the apartment
through the door using her key and saw right away that the children’s bedroom door was
completely open, the window was also open, the shutters raised and the curtains drawn
open. The side door that opens into the living room, which as said earlier, was never locked,
was closed. [6]
Kate McCann, statement, 4 May 2007 2:15 p.m.
“. . . At around 10pm, the witness came to check on the children. She went into the apartment
by the side door, which was closed, but unlocked, as already said, and immediately noticed
that the door to her children's bedroom was completely open, the window was also open,
the shutters raised and the curtains open, while she was certain of having closed them all
as she always did. [7]
Observation
1 The door is now ignored
2 The McCanns and two of their friends were taken from Praia da Luz at
around 10 am for the statements to be taken. [8]
Gerry was first. He was interviewed alone. When his statement was
completed Kate followed.
Unusually Gerry was permitted to remain in the interview room, whilst Kate
was interviewed and her statement was taken. [9]
He was permitted to sit behind her and she states that from time to time he
“would place a hand on my shoulder or give me a reassuring squeeze”. [10]
Further observation
3 Physical contact of this sort may be reassuring. It can also be a very
effective method of communication.

But of course it also STUFFS them BOTH.
since Kate's subsequent revelation that the curtains were in fact "Tight Closed" and Whooshing" now speaks not only to her initial lie,
but to that of her husband, who repeated what he had been told to say, or the other way round.
Either both Kate and Gerry were lying to start with, or Kate is lying now.
Or something.  It would take a good lawyer to sort this out !

Richard Desmond is to be interviewed by Nick Ferrari on LBC radio (97.3fm in London or digital nationwide, or listen online) during this hour, 8am-9am.

Sorry if this is not related to the topic but it's only two days after his defending The Express' stance on reporting of the McCann case, so you never know....

Rabbitte wrote:Richard Desmond is to be interviewed by Nick Ferrari on LBC radio (97.3fm in London or digital nationwide, or listen online) during this hour, 8am-9am.

Sorry if this is not related to the topic but it's only two days after his defending The Express' stance on reporting of the McCann case, so you never know....

He's promoting his autobiography so maybe he'll be appearing on a sofa anytime soon.

Ladyinred wrote:

Rabbitte wrote:Richard Desmond is to be interviewed by Nick Ferrari on LBC radio (97.3fm in London or digital nationwide, or listen online) during this hour, 8am-9am.

Sorry if this is not related to the topic but it's only two days after his defending The Express' stance on reporting of the McCann case, so you never know....

He's promoting his autobiography so maybe he'll be appearing on a sofa anytime soon.

Aha, didn't know about the book. Pretty standard promo interview, and all I've learned is that he is considerably richer than me! 

Rabbitte wrote:

Ladyinred wrote:

Rabbitte wrote:Richard Desmond is to be interviewed by Nick Ferrari on LBC radio (97.3fm in London or digital nationwide, or listen online) during this hour, 8am-9am.

Sorry if this is not related to the topic but it's only two days after his defending The Express' stance on reporting of the McCann case, so you never know....

He's promoting his autobiography so maybe he'll be appearing on a sofa anytime soon.

Aha, didn't know about the book. Pretty standard promo interview, and all I've learned is that he is considerably richer than me! 

No need to apologise!

It's because he's plugging his book that he's everywhere.  

So NF didn't ask?

Absolutely nowt controversial LIR. 
A nice conversational interview about his book selling very well so making lots of money, family, money, media empire, money, work ethic, money, etc, etc.
Very rough precis, not in exact order but the gist is there. I zoned out temporarily when I heard mention of £300million for one business deal  Don't think I'll be getting the book, I'm buying a lottery ticket instead.

jeanmonroe wrote:And, it's worth 'bashing home' at every 'opportunity', the FACT that the shutter of G5A was 'NOT SMASHED'

Even though, 5 (FIVE) HOURS, after KM knew, KNEW, that was TRUE, she told JC, in Liverpool, at 3am, 4th May, 2007, to tell the UK Madia, that, 'the shutter WAS SMASHED' (and that's how 'abductor' got 'in')

It really does beggar belief that as far as we know, none of the Tapas Crew will be questioned by SY.

I am still wondering why Crimewatch was not shown in Portugal and why Paynes were not included in the programme?

Rabbitte wrote:Absolutely nowt controversial LIR. 
A nice conversational interview about his book selling very well so making lots of money, family, money, media empire, money, work ethic, money, etc, etc.
Very rough precis, not in exact order but the gist is there. I zoned out temporarily when I heard mention of £300million for one business deal  Don't think I'll be getting the book, I'm buying a lottery ticket instead.

Daily Express has reviewed RD's book today and awarded it five stars, what a surprise!

http://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/books/585542/Richard-Desmond-book-launch-media-mogul-northern-and-shell-newspapers-journalism