Telegraph's response to the Crimewatch programme

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Today's Telegraph carries an article on the Crimewatch last night. On the right ahnd side there is a list of the five most -viewed news stories today. Number 4 may surprise you.

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I thought only 'most read' articles were usually very recent ones?  Either more people are looking for these sites, or someone at the Telegraph wants it read

Nothing from the pink one or the 'family source'?

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Jake Wallis Simons ([You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]) is a Telegraph features and comment writer. His fourth novel, Jam, which is set in a traffic jam on the M25, is coming out in March 2014. He also broadcasts for BBC Radio 4. His website is [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]; you can [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]; he has a [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]; and on Twitter he can be found at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Dan Hodges is wrong: the police are NOT wasting time and money following the latest lead on Madeleine McCann

quote''
One of the darker threads running through the tragic story of the disappearance of Madeline McCann has been the public animosity towards her parents, Kate and Gerry. In addition to the heartache of losing a child, they have had to deal with repeated and very open savaging.
Writing in these pages, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], noting that "it is on the front of every newspaper, website and television bulletin in the country". He even lamented the fact that "our natural instinct kicks in", suggesting that our sense of good judgment is being manipulated. Now, I have a great deal of respect for Dan. But in this case he is off the mark.
It is true, of course, that a huge investment of time and money that has been poured into the McCann investigation. The current Scotland Yard operation will cost the taxpayer £11 million. But the police are not simply wasting this money on empty speculation.
Dan suggests that investigators are in a state of confusion, and argues that their latest suspect "may be the key. He may not be the key. In the same way you or I may be the key, or may not be the key. But we are definitely part of the circus. So we say nothing."
In actual fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Although detectives – being professionals – shy away from making unequivocal statements while an investigation is under way, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].
Portuguese police had assumed that Madeline was taken at around 9:15pm on May 3, 2007. This meant that suspicious people seen later in the evening were discounted. However, Scotland Yard now believes that the abduction could have taken place as late as 10pm, which changes the frame of the investigation and creates new suspects. This is not empty speculation. It is police work: frustrating, laborious and complex, but the method by which crimes can be solved. The investigating officers should be commended for their compassion and tenacity, not denigrated.
It is true that the website Missing Kids has a gallery of over a hundred missing children, none of whom have received even a fraction of the attention lavished on Madeline McCann. But many of these children are adolescent; are foreign citizens or have dual nationality; or were probably abducted by a parent or close family member. For a small, British child to be snatched – so it would seem – from her bed by a stranger, and to disappear without trace, is extremely rare. Hence the level of public interest and outrage.
Of course, there has long been a groundswell of resentment at how Kate and Jerry McCann, a well-educated, middle-class couple, have managed to spearhead such a high-profile media campaign in an effort to find their daughter. The McCanns have come to be viewed by many as just the sort of sharp-elbowed parents that other mums and dads hate.
But such resentments showcase the very worst in human nature. In my view, the fact that Kate and Gerry McCann are moving heaven and earth to find their daughter is testament to the strength of a parent's love.
So before criticising the scale and cost of the McCann investigation, ask yourself the following. If the British police were seen to turn a blind eye, would this not embolden future kidnappers? What should the Government spend the money on instead? And, finally, what if it was your daughter?

worriedmum wrote:[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Jake Wallis Simons ([You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]) is a Telegraph features and comment writer. His fourth novel, Jam, which is set in a traffic jam on the M25, is coming out in March 2014. He also broadcasts for BBC Radio 4. His website is [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]; you can [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]; he has a [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]; and on Twitter he can be found at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Dan Hodges is wrong: the police are NOT wasting time and money following the latest lead on Madeleine McCann

quote''
One of the darker threads running through the tragic story of the disappearance of Madeline McCann has been the public animosity towards her parents, Kate and Gerry. In addition to the heartache of losing a child, they have had to deal with repeated and very open savaging.
Writing in these pages, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], noting that "it is on the front of every newspaper, website and television bulletin in the country". He even lamented the fact that "our natural instinct kicks in", suggesting that our sense of good judgment is being manipulated. Now, I have a great deal of respect for Dan. But in this case he is off the mark.
It is true, of course, that a huge investment of time and money that has been poured into the McCann investigation. The current Scotland Yard operation will cost the taxpayer £11 million. But the police are not simply wasting this money on empty speculation.
Dan suggests that investigators are in a state of confusion, and argues that their latest suspect "may be the key. He may not be the key. In the same way you or I may be the key, or may not be the key. But we are definitely part of the circus. So we say nothing."
In actual fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Although detectives – being professionals – shy away from making unequivocal statements while an investigation is under way, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].
Portuguese police had assumed that Madeline was taken at around 9:15pm on May 3, 2007. This meant that suspicious people seen later in the evening were discounted. However, Scotland Yard now believes that the abduction could have taken place as late as 10pm, which changes the frame of the investigation and creates new suspects. This is not empty speculation. It is police work: frustrating, laborious and complex, but the method by which crimes can be solved. The investigating officers should be commended for their compassion and tenacity, not denigrated.
It is true that the website Missing Kids has a gallery of over a hundred missing children, none of whom have received even a fraction of the attention lavished on Madeline McCann. But many of these children are adolescent; are foreign citizens or have dual nationality; or were probably abducted by a parent or close family member. For a small, British child to be snatched – so it would seem – from her bed by a stranger, and to disappear without trace, is extremely rare. Hence the level of public interest and outrage.
Of course, there has long been a groundswell of resentment at how Kate and Jerry McCann, a well-educated, middle-class couple, have managed to spearhead such a high-profile media campaign in an effort to find their daughter. The McCanns have come to be viewed by many as just the sort of sharp-elbowed parents that other mums and dads hate.
But such resentments showcase the very worst in human nature. In my view, the fact that Kate and Gerry McCann are moving heaven and earth to find their daughter is testament to the strength of a parent's love.
So before criticising the scale and cost of the McCann investigation, ask yourself the following. If the British police were seen to turn a blind eye, would this not embolden future kidnappers? What should the Government spend the money on instead? And, finally, what if it was your daughter?

abduction? evidence please.   I would answer the 48 questions,   next

Jake Wallis Simons, another lazy journalist throwing in his tuppence worth without reading any of the facts of the case.  

Lets get this clear.  NO-ONE, absolutely NO-ONE is jealous of the McCanns, OK?  We do not envy their education, their lifestyle, their high powered friends, their celebrity status, in fact some of us find it all skin crawlingly creepy.  We despise the fact that the left 3 very young children on their own, one of whom is missing, probably dead, and then tried to convince us that they did nothing wrong.  As one tweeter has pointed out, if all 3 kids had been killed in a fire, would it be the fire's fault?

I am just glad its only his opinion,i think he hasn't even bothered to look in the files,like most of the jorno,s who write guff like this

worriedmum wrote:[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Jake Wallis Simons ([You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]) is a Telegraph features and comment writer. His fourth novel, Jam, which is set in a traffic jam on the M25, is coming out in March 2014. He also broadcasts for BBC Radio 4. His website is [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]; you can [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]; he has a [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]; and on Twitter he can be found at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Dan Hodges is wrong: the police are NOT wasting time and money following the latest lead on Madeleine McCann

quote''
One of the darker threads running through the tragic story of the disappearance of Madeline McCann has been the public animosity towards her parents, Kate and Gerry. In addition to the heartache of losing a child, they have had to deal with repeated and very open savaging.
Writing in these pages, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], noting that "it is on the front of every newspaper, website and television bulletin in the country". He even lamented the fact that "our natural instinct kicks in", suggesting that our sense of good judgment is being manipulated. Now, I have a great deal of respect for Dan. But in this case he is off the mark.
It is true, of course, that a huge investment of time and money that has been poured into the McCann investigation. The current Scotland Yard operation will cost the taxpayer £11 million. But the police are not simply wasting this money on empty speculation.
Dan suggests that investigators are in a state of confusion, and argues that their latest suspect "may be the key. He may not be the key. In the same way you or I may be the key, or may not be the key. But we are definitely part of the circus. So we say nothing."
In actual fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Although detectives – being professionals – shy away from making unequivocal statements while an investigation is under way, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].
Portuguese police had assumed that Madeline was taken at around 9:15pm on May 3, 2007. This meant that suspicious people seen later in the evening were discounted. However, Scotland Yard now believes that the abduction could have taken place as late as 10pm, which changes the frame of the investigation and creates new suspects. This is not empty speculation. It is police work: frustrating, laborious and complex, but the method by which crimes can be solved. The investigating officers should be commended for their compassion and tenacity, not denigrated.
It is true that the website Missing Kids has a gallery of over a hundred missing children, none of whom have received even a fraction of the attention lavished on Madeline McCann. But many of these children are adolescent; are foreign citizens or have dual nationality; or were probably abducted by a parent or close family member. For a small, British child to be snatched – so it would seem – from her bed by a stranger, and to disappear without trace, is extremely rare. Hence the level of public interest and outrage.
Of course, there has long been a groundswell of resentment at how Kate and Jerry McCann, a well-educated, middle-class couple, have managed to spearhead such a high-profile media campaign in an effort to find their daughter. The McCanns have come to be viewed by many as just the sort of sharp-elbowed parents that other mums and dads hate.
But such resentments showcase the very worst in human nature. In my view, the fact that Kate and Gerry McCann are moving heaven and earth to find their daughter is testament to the strength of a parent's love.
So before criticising the scale and cost of the McCann investigation, ask yourself the following. If the British police were seen to turn a blind eye, would this not embolden future kidnappers? What should the Government spend the money on instead? And, finally, what if it was your daughter?

Jake seems to confuse saying you're doing something with actually doing something and has a worrying tendency to hyperbole. One question, Jake: if Kate and Gerry McCann are 'moving heaven and earth to find their daughter' wouldn't that include simply answering all the investigating police force's questions and getting together with their holiday companions to carry out the reconstruction in Portugal as asked? For some reason, 'moving heaven and earth' (whatever that means) seems to be easier and more palatable to them that cooperating with the investigating police force. Many people cannot understand the reason for this and ask why it is the case. The fact that you - a journalist - are so reluctant to ask questions of this sort is quite worrying. After all, if there is a perfectly rational and sensible explanation for the McCanns refusal to answer police questions or to re-enact their movements the night Madeleine went missing, telling all these 'resenters' what is it would surely help ease the situation, improve the likelihood of public cooperation and 'help the search'. It would be a win-win situation, wouldn't it?

Hi Worried Mum

Another commentator giving their very forthright (imo ignorant) opinion...."Dan Hodges is wrong: the police are NOT wasting time and money following the latest lead on Madeleine McCann"  - and surprise, suprise - he's BBC Connected and has a book out soon.


It really makes you wonder if there is a list of commentator/journalists/actors with films coming out/writers with books coming out - that are asked to write these little pieces. Perhaps, of course this is only my opinion, it is suggested that this may help their career. Or possibly they feel obliged to - after receiving a publishing deal/new column/good critique etc, etc. I have always wondered why J K Rowling got herself involved - it's the one person I couldn't understand, going so public on this.


Anyway, good on Dan Holdges for speaking his mind, whose shown again that he's not afraid to swim against the tide on this (he's spoken out on political matters before which have somewhat gone against the grain) 


Love the telegraph to do an expenses expose on this SY Investigation, as they did with the MP's. Now that would be a very popular news story, and a real eye opener.....all the 5* Hotels/bar bills/restaurants - that's before we even get into what class they travelled?

Does he not realise that the Portuguese police did not follow a wrong lead ...pointed in that direction by the parents, but almost at once dismissed it as not credible?

 SY have just confirmed that....tweet that to this ignorant journalist.

deleted, my mistake

Cristobell wrote:Jake Wallis Simons, another lazy journalist throwing in his tuppence worth without reading any of the facts of the case.  

Lets get this clear.  NO-ONE, absolutely NO-ONE is jealous of the McCanns, OK?  We do not envy their education, their lifestyle, their high powered friends, their celebrity status, in fact some of us find it all skin crawlingly creepy.  We despise the fact that the left 3 very young children on their own, one of whom is missing, probably dead, and then tried to convince us that they did nothing wrong.  As one tweeter has pointed out, if all 3 kids had been killed in a fire, would it be the fire's fault?

In trying to explain how their 3 year old daughter went missing in Luz they continue to attempt to make sympathetic adults believe that child neglect is acceptable!
They have done this from the start - 'if someone took her, how would that be our fault' and rationalized with 'it was our holiday too' !!!
They accept the sympathy they receive regarding their account of events and try to keep riding that wave.
But sympathy is only a 1st response. After that comes questions!

Popcorn wrote:

worriedmum wrote:[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Jake Wallis Simons ([You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]) is a Telegraph features and comment writer. His fourth novel, Jam, which is set in a traffic jam on the M25, is coming out in March 2014. He also broadcasts for BBC Radio 4. His website is [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]; you can [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]; he has a [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]; and on Twitter he can be found at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Dan Hodges is wrong: the police are NOT wasting time and money following the latest lead on Madeleine McCann

quote''
One of the darker threads running through the tragic story of the disappearance of Madeline McCann has been the public animosity towards her parents, Kate and Gerry. In addition to the heartache of losing a child, they have had to deal with repeated and very open savaging.
Writing in these pages, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], noting that "it is on the front of every newspaper, website and television bulletin in the country". He even lamented the fact that "our natural instinct kicks in", suggesting that our sense of good judgment is being manipulated. Now, I have a great deal of respect for Dan. But in this case he is off the mark.
It is true, of course, that a huge investment of time and money that has been poured into the McCann investigation. The current Scotland Yard operation will cost the taxpayer £11 million. But the police are not simply wasting this money on empty speculation.
Dan suggests that investigators are in a state of confusion, and argues that their latest suspect "may be the key. He may not be the key. In the same way you or I may be the key, or may not be the key. But we are definitely part of the circus. So we say nothing."
In actual fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Although detectives – being professionals – shy away from making unequivocal statements while an investigation is under way, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].
Portuguese police had assumed that Madeline was taken at around 9:15pm on May 3, 2007. This meant that suspicious people seen later in the evening were discounted. However, Scotland Yard now believes that the abduction could have taken place as late as 10pm, which changes the frame of the investigation and creates new suspects. This is not empty speculation. It is police work: frustrating, laborious and complex, but the method by which crimes can be solved. The investigating officers should be commended for their compassion and tenacity, not denigrated.
It is true that the website Missing Kids has a gallery of over a hundred missing children, none of whom have received even a fraction of the attention lavished on Madeline McCann. But many of these children are adolescent; are foreign citizens or have dual nationality; or were probably abducted by a parent or close family member. For a small, British child to be snatched – so it would seem – from her bed by a stranger, and to disappear without trace, is extremely rare. Hence the level of public interest and outrage.
Of course, there has long been a groundswell of resentment at how Kate and Jerry McCann, a well-educated, middle-class couple, have managed to spearhead such a high-profile media campaign in an effort to find their daughter. The McCanns have come to be viewed by many as just the sort of sharp-elbowed parents that other mums and dads hate.
But such resentments showcase the very worst in human nature. In my view, the fact that Kate and Gerry McCann are moving heaven and earth to find their daughter is testament to the strength of a parent's love.
So before criticising the scale and cost of the McCann investigation, ask yourself the following. If the British police were seen to turn a blind eye, would this not embolden future kidnappers? What should the Government spend the money on instead? And, finally, what if it was your daughter?

Jake seems to confuse saying you're doing something with actually doing something and has a worrying tendency to hyperbole. One question, Jake: if Kate and Gerry McCann are 'moving heaven and earth to find their daughter' wouldn't that include simply answering all the investigating police force's questions and getting together with their holiday companions to carry out the reconstruction in Portugal as asked? For some reason, 'moving heaven and earth' (whatever that means) seems to be easier and more palatable to them that cooperating with the investigating police force. Many people cannot understand the reason for this and ask why it is the case. The fact that you - a journalist - are so reluctant to ask questions of this sort is quite worrying. After all, if there is a perfectly rational and sensible explanation for the McCanns refusal to answer police questions or to re-enact their movements the night Madeleine went missing, telling all these 'resenters' what is it would surely help ease the situation, improve the likelihood of public cooperation and 'help the search'. It would be a win-win situation, wouldn't it?

McCanns remind me of politicians talking about how 'something needs to be done' while doing nothing.  Moving heaven and earth didn't seem to extend to actually flying to investigate any of the sightings, even the Belgian one which seemed very plausible (though they clearly weren't too upset to travel, I seem to remember they jetted off somewhere else instead).  And what about the fact that the Smith sighting apparently lay ignored for years in their (useless) PI's files?  These 'important new leads' he talks about have come despite the McCanns efforts not because of them!  I said (on the Digispy forums) pretty early on that they were only 'pretend' searching.  And nothing that has happened since has changed that view.

Cristobell wrote:Jake Wallis Simons, another lazy journalist throwing in his tuppence worth without reading any of the facts of the case.  

Lets get this clear.  NO-ONE, absolutely NO-ONE is jealous of the McCanns, OK?  We do not envy their education, their lifestyle, their high powered friends, their celebrity status, in fact some of us find it all skin crawlingly creepy.  We despise the fact that the left 3 very young children on their own, one of whom is missing, probably dead, and then tried to convince us that they did nothing wrong.  As one tweeter has pointed out, if all 3 kids had been killed in a fire, would it be the fire's fault?

God that's such a lame argument.

I know for sure that on this forum are quite a few posters who have achieved more in their lives that this conning couple.

They did that without misplacing a child.

Some even with taking care of someone else's child.

Jealous? My God I would not take their life, even if I had a lower social status, or/and even if they payed me very well for it.I can't find anything in these pathetic parents to be jealous of.

who in their right mind would be Jealous of that pair of fuc*** tos***.ye gods

thought Gerry was spelt with a G not J  ,hahaha.thats one FACT he got wrong.

" But many of these children are adolescent; are foreign citizens or have dual nationality;." or were probably abducted by a parent or close family member. For a small, British child to be snatched – so it would seem – from her bed by a stranger, and to disappear without trace, is extremely rare

I think he's covered everything there, but perhaps not in the way he might have intended.

Hopespringseternal wrote:" But many of these children are adolescent; are foreign citizens or have dual nationality;." or were probably abducted by a parent or close family member. For a small, British child to be snatched – so it would seem – from her bed by a stranger, and to disappear without trace, is extremely rare

I think he's covered everything there, but perhaps not in the way he might have intended.

Not very bright is he,hahahaha

Jealous? Me?


PS: And I wouldn't want to be found dead in her Jesus sandals or ill-fitting cropped trousers ...
Sorry  

worriedmum wrote:[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Jake Wallis Simons ([You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]) is a Telegraph features and comment writer.
quote''
Portuguese police had assumed that Madeline was taken at around 9:15pm on May 3, 2007. This meant that suspicious people seen later in the evening were discounted.

Has Jake been following the story at all?

StraightThinking wrote:

worriedmum wrote:[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Jake Wallis Simons ([You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]) is a Telegraph features and comment writer.
quote''
Portuguese police had assumed that Madeline was taken at around 9:15pm on May 3, 2007. This meant that suspicious people seen later in the evening were discounted.

Has Jake been following the story at all?

***
1) Yes, but maybe lacks in the grey parts to understand
2) Yes, but has orders from "above"
3) No, but was commissioned to write something anyway
4) No, is not interested at all, but gets paid per word
 

Châtelaine wrote:

StraightThinking wrote:

worriedmum wrote:[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Jake Wallis Simons ([You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]) is a Telegraph features and comment writer.
quote''
Portuguese police had assumed that Madeline was taken at around 9:15pm on May 3, 2007. This meant that suspicious people seen later in the evening were discounted.

Has Jake been following the story at all?

***
1) Yes, but maybe lacks in the grey parts to understand
2) Yes, but has orders from "above"
3) No, but was commissioned to write something anyway
4) No, is not interested at all, but gets paid per word
 

Hi Châtelaine You got it in 4 !!

  tiny wrote:

Hopespringseternal wrote:" But many of these children are adolescent; are foreign citizens or have dual nationality;." or were probably abducted by a parent or close family member. For a small, British child to be snatched – so it would seem – from her bed by a stranger, and to disappear without trace, is extremely rare

I think he's covered everything there, but perhaps not in the way he might have intended.

Not very bright is he,hahahaha

No he is not bright as he certainly has not gauged the feeling of the majority of people with regards the McCanns.

Welcome Hopespringseternal.

"Portuguese police had assumed that Madeline was taken at around 9:15pm on May 3, 2007"

How simply and ignorantly is 'reality' rewritten by our irresponsible media.

ProfessorPPlum wrote:"Portuguese police had assumed that Madeline was taken at around 9:15pm on May 3, 2007"

How simply and ignorantly is 'reality' rewritten by our irresponsible media.

Very simply because as long as they get paid, they don't care about what they write, sadly.

Beanie wrote:

ProfessorPPlum wrote:"Portuguese police had assumed that Madeline was taken at around 9:15pm on May 3, 2007"

How simply and ignorantly is 'reality' rewritten by our irresponsible media.

Very simply because as long as they get paid, they don't care about what they write, sadly.

Even more simply, many of them spend their life regurgitating press releases, which is why this case - with its numerous PRs ready and waiting to spoon feed them quotes and press releases - must have been like manna from heaven.