The father of Madeleine McCann has urged for increased scrutiny of the UK media, describing how being "monstered" by the press made him feel that he was being "drowning under the pressure".
The McCanns Subjected to Press "Abuses"
Gerry McCann stated that his family was subjected to press "intrusions" and that the media had "frequently disrupted" the investigation into his daughter's going missing in 2007.
He emphasized that the media attention exacted a "heavy burden" on his family. "We faced sustained interest and misleading headlines for 15 months or more that compelled us to take legal action to stop it," he reportedly said.
"We are lucky. We got through it. We received tremendous support. But I can promise you, there were times where I felt like I was overwhelmed, and it was the media, mainly, not the situation we were in," he recounted.
A Call to Revive Leveson Inquiry
McCann and his wife, Kate, are among a group of people who have put their names to a letter urging the government to revive the second phase of the Leveson inquiry, which was set up to look into the relationship between the media and the police.
McCann said it was unacceptable that after more than a year, press regulation was "not being prioritized". He said that his family had been victims of "monstering" by parts of the media and that the press was "posted" outside his home for an extended period after the disappearance.
Describing the Intrusion
Describing the intrusion, he said: "Media at our doorstep, photographers pushing their cameras against our car window, when we had young twin children in the back who were terrified, and how distressing that is for you as a parent."
"It's the inaccuracies. It's the making up of stories to fit the agenda, rather than the truth, which causes immense harm," he added.
The Need for Tougher Oversight and Redress
He stated these actions showed why there needed to be tougher press regulation. "We'd be getting ready for bed, we'd put on the news, and there'd be major reports about ourselves and alleged events," he told.
"That feeling is overwhelming, and you can see how people give in to it and think they can't get out of it. It's so damaging, and we need that protection. People deserve recourse. And at the minute, for most of the large media outlets, there is no redress," he argued.
Official Position and Changing News Environment
The Culture Secretary commented that a follow-up part of the inquiry had been ruled out and that the media landscape was now profoundly changed.
"We share the view that the landscape has transformed dramatically since the second part of Leveson was proposed: people now are more likely to get their news from the internet, which has thrown up new and different challenges," the minister said.
It was also noted that balancing the rights of victims with the need for a free press was a "challenging task to get right," but acknowledged that "action is needed in this area".
A Continued Search for Closure
Madeleine McCann disappeared from a family vacation apartment in 2007 when she was three years old. Gerry McCann said that it was "profoundly disappointing" how the press had repeatedly interfered with the investigation.
"Leaked information which should have been confidential... So if you were the perpetrator, you knew a lot more than you should have done," he explained.
Regarding the ongoing search, he said the possibility he would find his daughter was "slim but it's not extinguished". "We hope to find her alive, but we need to find out what happened and hold the perpetrator, and others are at risk while that perpetrator is free," he affirmed.
