Day 114 -
25/08/2007 Saturday
Kirsty Wark interviewed me at the Edinburgh International TV
festival this morning. It was very well attended, especially considering the
9.30 start on a Saturday morning. It is difficult to explain why Madeleines
disappearance has generated so much media coverage and why it has been so
sustained. I am certain that the coverage would not have been nearly as great
if this had happened 10 years ago. The use of mobile phones, the internet,
low-cost airlines and 24 hour news channels have changed the world we live in-
making it seem smaller. No doubt Madeleines physical appearance also captured
the publics imagination as well as the highly unusual circumstances of a
foreign child being abducted on holiday.
Our family decided to try and make as many people as possible
aware that Madeleine was missing quickly. Family members did frequent TV
interviews and friends distributed images of Madeline to news outlets. My
sister started the electronic campaign proper by sending a chain e-mail with a
poster of Madeleine, which was quickly advertised by Sky and downloaded by
thousands of people. Celebrities, sporting stars and ordinary people wanted to
help, almost certainly because they felt the same feeling of helplessness that
we did. After the first few weeks we fully expected the media attention to die
down but this has just not happened.
Some sections of the media now question their roles in the
coverage of the news story that is Madeleine. Kate and I quickly realised that
much of the coverage was pure speculation, which was often negative and
certainly unhelpful for us. We decided to rely on information only from
official sources and this has certainly helped us remain on a fairly even keel
despite some of the lurid headlines.
I left Edinburgh early afternoon
but spent most of the day travelling as I had to fly back to Portugal via Luton .
I managed to get some work done and write my blog on the way back. It was great
to see Kate and the kids again after 2 days.
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