Should have the McCanns have recieved the libel payout??

panther · 19-03-2008, 17:07

The parents of Madeleine McCann have accepted £550,000 in libel damages over "utterly false and defamatory" claims that they were responsible for her death

do you think they should have received this?

Neil · 19-03-2008, 17:14

I don't see how they can prove they are false until they find out what really happened. They may just had paid them £550,000 for killing their daughter.

cashman · 19-03-2008, 17:18

think its a strange area, as the press cannot substansiate their claims, then i think it is grossly wrong to make em, i have not much time for the Mcanns but at the same time think the media were bang out of order.

jambutty · 19-03-2008, 17:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by panther

The parents of Madeleine McCann have accepted £550,000 in libel damages over "utterly false and defamatory" claims that they were responsible for her death

do you think they should have received this?

In a word YES! It should have been ten times that amount for EACH newspaper.

Newspapers and the tabloids in particular are far too fond of presenting supposition as fact and it is high time they were brought to heel.

But the real villains of the piece are the general public who buy the newspapers.

Neil · 19-03-2008, 17:23

I don't know there are some cracking headlines that we would miss if there was no tabloids. Like todays Pornocchio

Loz · 19-03-2008, 17:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neil

I don't see how they can prove they are false until they find out what really happened. They may just had paid them £550,000 for killing their daughter.

I agree totally with you Neil.
Until little Maddie is found and it can be established what happened they are still suspects and therefore shouldn't recieve the payout now but it could have been put on hold until all the facts are known.
Only when they are proven innocent should they get the money imho.

jambutty · 19-03-2008, 17:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Loz

I agree totally with you Neil.
Until little Maddie is found and it can be established what happened they are still suspects and therefore shouldn't recieve the payout now but it could have been put on hold until all the facts are known.
Only when they are proven innocent should they get the money imho.

But the money has gone into the “Find Maddie” fund.

Would you rather the money wasn’t used in an attempt to find the little girl?

pipinfort · 19-03-2008, 17:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neil

I don't see how they can prove they are false until they find out what really happened. They may just had paid them £550,000 for killing their daughter.

Completely agree with you Neil, i know its gone into the find madeline fund but the fund is useless if they have indeed killed her.......thats not that i`m saying i think they have though.

Loz · 19-03-2008, 17:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by jambutty

But the money has gone into the “Find Maddie” fund.

Would you rather the money wasn’t used in an attempt to find the little girl?

No i am not.
There are other ways of funding it like they have been doing ever since she went missing.
All i am trying to say is that by being given this money they seem to suddenly be totally innocent when nobody knows what happened.
I don't think they had anything to do with it but until provern otherwise maybe the money should have been put on hold.

Neil · 19-03-2008, 17:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by jambutty

But the money has gone into the “Find Maddie” fund.

Would you rather the money wasn’t used in an attempt to find the little girl?

I don't believe they will ever find her. I think her kidnapper killed her when the media circus that her parents created showed how unique she was.

That media circus that the McCanns used to keep everyone thinking about Maddie is the same one they are now complaining about. Ironic isn't it?

jaysay · 19-03-2008, 18:15

Well I get the Star (purely for the football coverage you understand) and they were unmerciless on the McCanns last summer, I'm very easy going but I thought at the time that some of the things that were being written were a bit stong to say the least. One headline allbut said they had killed Maddie. Mind you I actually said in another thread that there is often apologies printed in the papers, especially the Star, its very poor journalism and they deserve everything they get, no sympathy what so ever

Lilly · 19-03-2008, 22:04

I think that it's right that the Express Group paid out to the Find Madeleine fund. Some of the things they printed were vicious and totally un-necessary. Did we need to be informed that Kate's nickname at uni was 'Hot Lips Healy'? That Kate and Gerry are swingers? That Gerry is not Madeleine's biological father? All of which has been denied by the family.

To come out with things like that was totally wrong, in my opinion.

How was that supposed to help matters?

Neil · 19-03-2008, 22:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lilly

How was that supposed to help matters?

By keeping them on page 1 as much as possible which is what they wanted - when it suited

Wynonie Harris · 19-03-2008, 22:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaysay

Well I get the Star (purely for the football coverage you understand)

...sure you do, Jaysay, sure you do, just like I buy Playboy purely for the articles in it.

Lilly · 19-03-2008, 22:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neil

By keeping them on page 1 as much as possible which is what they wanted - when it suited

I don't supposed they wanted personal slander though, did they?

I don't think they wanted their pasts delved into, their marriage and infertility dissected and discussed and hurtful untrue comments made.