The 'When your child goes missing' family survival guide the McCann's 'followed to the letter'
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The 'When your child goes missing' family survival guide the McCann's 'followed to the letter'
The Media Chapter 3
If you are subjected to intensive media coverage, welcome the attention, even though it may feel uncomfortable, because it is the fastest and most important way to distribute information about and pictures of your child. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed by the amount of attention, ask law enforcement to help you deal with the sudden barrage of reporters and requests for interviews. However, if the media do not take an interest in your case, there are a number of things you can do to get the media involved. This chapter offers suggestions for generating, maintaining, and managing media involvement. Media Involvement: The First 48 Hours During the first 48 hours, you need to do as much as you can to generate media interest in the search for your child. The following tips can help. Contact the media immediately. Media publicity is the best way to generate leads from the public concerning your child. In most cases, the media should be contacted immediately, because time is not on your child's side. You can ask law enforcement to make the initial calls to media outlets, but if this is not done within the first hour, call and give the information to the assignment editors yourself. Intense, early media coverage ensures that people will be looking for your child. Sometimes the coverage is so intense it causes an abductor to let the child go. Ask radio and television stations to run short clips about the disappearance or to break into their regular programming with information, as is done with a weather warning or other emergency broadcast. Don't wait until the evening news to have information disseminated about your child. Time is of the essence. Although television coverage is crucial in getting out pictures and stories of your child, don't ignore other types of media. Print and radio media reach tens of thousands of homes each day, and they may be more generous in their treatment of your story. Many people are likely to hear about your child's disappearance first on their car radios. Supplement those broadcasts with stories and pictures of your child in the earliest possible edition of your local newspaper. Law enforcement may need to be convinced that the media are important allies in a missing child case. Sometimes law enforcement is reluctant to get the media involved in an active criminal investigation. If your law enforcement agency is reluctant, you will have to work closely with your primary contact. Point out that swift use of the media has led to the successful recovery of more than one missing child and that your child's safety and recovery are more important than building a case against a suspect. Emphasize that you are going to be around for interrogation as weeks pass, but your child's life is in imminent jeopardy. Ask if certain information should not be released because it might jeopardize the case or the safety of your child and honor that request. As a last resort, ask NCMEC, your State missing children's clearinghouse, and missing children's organizations to assist in the event that your law enforcement agency does not want to involve the media. Prepare a media package and give it to all representatives of the media. The media package should include basic information about your child, including:
A media package will ensure that all reporters start with the same information and will reduce the amount of time you spend answering basic questions. When you prepare a media package, make enough copies to distribute, then keep the original in a safe place in case you need it again in the future.
Schedule press conferences and interviews around media deadlines. The media operate on deadlines. If you schedule a press conference either too early or too late in the day, reporters will find it difficult to finish their pieces in time to meet their daily deadlines. Consult with reporters to find out when and how often they would like to meet with you. Many parents have found 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. to be good times because they give reporters enough time to prepare stories for both the noon and evening news and because many reporters have openings in their schedule at these times. Do not schedule draining interviews or speeches back to back. Realize that you have limited mental and physical resources and that if you are not fresh, you will not be effective. If you have an opportunity to appear on a popular radio or television show or on a national network, give this engagement priority over others. However, remember that local television and radio stations will be in your community after the networks leave, so work to develop a long-term relationship with them. Sometimes you can ask local stations to rerun portions of an interview you did with the national affiliate. Avoid scheduling press conferences that conflict with an important event. If you want to make an important announcement, such as a reward offer, make sure you aren't competing with another scheduled event. Find out what events are listed in the day book -- often kept by Associated Press -- which is used by local media to keep track of newsworthy occurrences. Set your press conference for a time when nothing else significant is happening. Ask NCMEC or law enforcement to contact America's Most Wanted on your behalf. The staff of this television program, which broadcasts nationally, have a special interest in helping to recover abducted children. Sometimes the production staff move very rapidly to get an abducted child's story on the air. Be aware of your public status. Although this is not the kind of fame you want, you may attain some sort of "celebrity" standing because of your continuous involvement with the media. This sudden public status can be very intrusive. People will recognize and approach you wherever you go. The media may turn up at any time and any place, asking for information. You may be filmed any time you are in a public place -- and even through the windows of your own home, if the photographer uses a powerful lens. Therefore, for your child's sake, conduct yourself as if all eyes were upon you. Realize that you no longer have the same privacy you once had. Try not to be paranoid, but be careful. Don't do things that might cast you in a negative light, but don't feel guilty if you go out to dinner or to the movies to relieve the stress as the days and weeks pass. Review all media stories, comments, and tapes. Parents, family members, and friends should review all media spots and events in case they contain clues or pieces of information that could help you at a later date. For example, comments by particular individuals, multiple appearances by one individual, or knowledge of personal or confidential information not previously revealed may help to pinpoint either the perpetrator or persons close to the perpetrator. If your child is returned, don't let him or her review any tapes of the suspect. This may jeopardize identification of the suspect by your child when a lineup is scheduled by law enforcement. Media Involvement: After the First 48 Hours At first, you may feel overwhelmed by the intense media interest generated by your child's disappearance. After a week or so, however, if your child has not been found, you may run into the opposite problem. If media interest dies down, you will have to work to keep the story going. Here are some things you can do to keep your child's story in the public eye. Devise "media hooks" to keep your child's story in front of the public. Schedule a press conference on an important day, such as National Missing Children's Day (May 25), or prepare a press release to coincide with Federal or State legislation relating to missing, exploited, or victimized children. Remember, you don't know how long you will have to search for your child, so you need to plan for the long term. Ask a family member or friend to help if you find the task too difficult. Give the story a new slant. To give the story a new look, you may want to change the tone of your interviews. Try bringing in someone new to discuss the case, such as a politician, sports personality, popular entertainer, or someone close to the investigation. Pace yourself. Parcel out new developments in the case in separate announcements to spread coverage over a longer period of time. Ask law enforcement to notify the press of significant developments, such as important leads or items found during the physical search. Keep the story alive by tying it to a variety of events and activities. You can hold a candlelight vigil, announce a reward, or show how celebrations such as a birthday, holiday, or graduation are different without your child. You can tie your child's story to something that will be broadcast repeatedly, such as a popular song on the radio. Then, every time the song plays, it will be a reminder that your child is still missing. If you can create a way for the media to present your child's story in a different way, it is more likely to be run. Remember that media attention increases when you hold special events and when anniversaries come up. Also, remember to coordinate all events and activities with law enforcement, because they can be an important part of the overall investigative strategy.
Identify the assignment editors for each news organization, and send your press releases to their attention. Assignment editors are the ones who decide which events to cover and whom to assign as reporters. If you plan an event, let the news organization know what is happening by faxing a news release. Give the facts of the case, along with a news "slant." Consider granting exclusive interviews. In the beginning, you probably will not want to grant an exclusive interview, because interest will be high and you will want the broadest coverage possible. Also, granting an exclusive interview to one news organization over another may offend the one that you leave out. Later, however, an exclusive interview may be appropriate, such as to one station that has developed a story independently or to a national media group such as ABC, CBS, CNN, or NBC. In some cases, an exclusive interview may be the only way to get a particular aspect of your story out. Use the media to appeal for special help. The media can be a very effective tool in asking for help. If you need volunteers, training, printing, or equipment that is prohibitively expensive or not readily available, ask the media to broadcast your request. Give a wish list to local radio stations, because they in particular are often willing to publicize such appeals as a public service or interest report. Not only can this provide you with the help you need, but it can be yet another hook to remind the public to keep looking for your child. If possible, obtain the help of a media expert. Sometimes professionals working in the field of public relations donate their services to parents. Because these professionals are very savvy in their dealings with the media, they can be a tremendous help.
OJJDP Report: When Your Child Is Missing: A Family Survival Guide, May 1998 |
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Re: The 'When your child goes missing' family survival guide the McCann's 'followed to the letter'
And did they just happen to read all this in the first two hours she supposedly went missing on the 3rd of May before they acted on it? I think it was only a matter of a couple of hours from her being reported missing that they contacted the media. However, if she had gone missing a few days earlier, I suppose they had plenty of time to study it before they orchestrated the media circus.
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Re: The 'When your child goes missing' family survival guide the McCann's 'followed to the letter'
Things began with jemmied shutters that hadn't been jemmied. This information was imparted to the UK media by family members not present in PdL who quoted Kate and Gerry from phone calls.
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Re: The 'When your child goes missing' family survival guide the McCann's 'followed to the letter'
Jayney! I would have thought a basic thing to do would have been getting a RECENT, UP-TO-DATE photograph of your child out there A.S.A.P. in case she's been spotted, not offering one from years ago that barely resembles her now, especially when you claim to have taken one a few hours before she vanished!
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Re: The 'When your child goes missing' family survival guide the McCann's 'followed to the letter'
As it was published in 1998 they had plenty of time to read it before they even went to Portugal as I've always been of the belief it was all pre-meditated.Copodenieve wrote:And did they just happen to read all this in the first two hours she supposedly went missing on the 3rd of May before they acted on it? I think it was only a matter of a couple of hours from her being reported missing that they contacted the media. However, if she had gone missing a few days earlier, I suppose they had plenty of time to study it before they orchestrated the media circus.
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Re: The 'When your child goes missing' family survival guide the McCann's 'followed to the letter'
I find that too awful to even contemplate Jill. I have read something somewhere before on the these lines, but I skimmed through it because I just didn't want to believe that they had actually planned it. If it was on here where I read it, could you provide me with the link please and I will read it. x
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Re: The 'When your child goes missing' family survival guide the McCann's 'followed to the letter'
You'd need to be a bit more specific please if I'm to try to search for it.
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Re: The 'When your child goes missing' family survival guide the McCann's 'followed to the letter'
I wondered if you had written about your theory on here. No worries Jill, I will look for it myself as you have enough work on your hands. Thank you.
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Re: The 'When your child goes missing' family survival guide the McCann's 'followed to the letter'
You may be referring to my ramblings which is just a very uneasy feeling that Madeleine's fate was decided before she got on the plane in the UK based on this list I posted back in 2011.Copodenieve wrote:I wondered if you had written about your theory on here. No worries Jill, I will look for it myself as you have enough work on your hands. Thank you.
Gerry said on airport bus that he wasn't there to enjoy himself
Speed and professionalism of the Fund/website being set up
2006 seen on website when Maddie went missing in 2007
Having all the phone numbers of some very influential people on speed dial
Having a ready supply of pre-printed photographs of Madeleine ready for the police as soon as they arrived on the night of 3rd May (despite Last Photo being on Kate's camera)
Naming Fund after a police forensic manual "No stone unturned"
John McCann gave up well-paid job to work on Fund despite having house, wife and kids to support
The last photo of Maddie believed to be fake
Kate's strange diary
Gerry's strange blog
Disregarding police advice about releasing information of Maddie's coloboma (death sentence)
Trademark, marketing ploy
Twins left in unlocked apartment after Kate raised alarm
Twins left in creche during aftermath while they went fundraising
Smiling and smirking shortly after Maddie's disappearance
Whoever Madeleine's with she'll be giving them her tuppenceworth
Well it was our holiday too
Staged walks, jogging, globetrotting, not searching
Gerry planning events months ahead
No evidence of abduction
No jemmied window
Gerry alleged to have dumped Fridge, reference removed from his blog
Amaral believed Maddie's corpse was frozen or refrigerated
Curtains washed, sofa moved, no sheets on twins' cots
Lies and inconsistencies, changing statements/stories
Tearing Maddie's book to write timeline before police arrived
Deleting text messages and phone records the night Maddie disappeared
Phoning Sky before phoning police
Gerry having presence of mind to update his Friends Reunited profile to remove babysitting reference
Kate remembering to cancel her Tesco shopping delivery
Washing Cuddlecat and using it as a prop for staged photoshoots then dumping it once back in the UK
Framing Robert Murat
The Wider Agenda flipchart
The excessive mileage on the hire car
Blood/marks on walls and floor behind sofa
Cadaver scent in apartment and car and on Kate and Maddie's clothes
David Payne and Gerry's alleged 'paedophilic' conversation reported to police by Dr Gaspar
David Payne's alleged 'bathtime' visits
Jon Corner's strange remark about Maddie's special quality and charisma
Ward of Court
Question 41: Is it true that in England you considered giving up Madeleine's guardianship
Claiming to be devout Catholics which was denied by Kate's mother
Sedatives mystery
Not answering 48 police questions
Not going back to Portugal to do the reconstruction
Refusing to take lie detector test
Rotting meat, dirty nappies transported in hire car as excuse for dogs' alerts
Six corpses attended by Kate in UK
Discrediting sniffer dogs
Not requesting the re-opening of the case before the deadline on 20 September 2008
Not taking Amaral's advice and making a formal request to the British police to find Maddie, despite their insistence that she is still alive
Mr Amaral removed from investigation
Mr Amaral's dog killed with serious head injury
Sergey Malinka's car torched
Clarence Mitchell giving up his well paid government job and pension to take on a PR job that might last only a few days
Possibly Madeleine was being abused, was starting to talk about it, and she had to be silenced before she started school later in 2007 to save their careers and prevent the twins being taken into care. I also don't believe Madeleine fitted in based on the awful comments about her by her own family (e.g. "that girl could throw a tantrum" Granny McCann) and 'Kate's struggle to control a very difficult Madeleine' as reported in the MSM. Would the family really dwell on the negatives when your child had just been 'abducted'?
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Re: The 'When your child goes missing' family survival guide the McCann's 'followed to the letter'
I must confess Jill, I have always thought, and it's hard for me to say this, that she might have been loaned out for sexual abuse to the elite and that maybe they planned to finally sell her off all together to someone on that holiday. However, I think her death was unexpected and accidental and those implicated in the abuse all helped to dispose of the body and cover up for the McCanns. So, in my opinion, it is possible that the abduction story was pre-planned well before the holiday to cover for handing her over to some elite paedophile ring but that she wasn't meant to die. Kate's words "They've taken her" made me think straight away that she knew exactly who took her and why.
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