More Pots and Kettles?

Following on from the criticism of the Portuguese police, Steve at Straight to the Point has an example of good old fashioned incompetence, UK style.

The Abuse of Madeleine McCann

The coverage of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has been of very dubious quality since her disappearance eleven days ago. Predictably, the Murdoch controlled media have been the worst culprits. They have wasted no time in laying into the Portuguese police. The Sun declared that the police were 'slow to react' and have been 'heavily criticised' for their response and claimed that the police 'haven't a clue'. This contrasts with the response of the parents to the efforts of the Portuguese police who have, according to Reuters:

.....praised the Portuguese police for their work and thanked people for the widespread support they had received.

The Sun have also started to refer to the possibility that Madeleine has been abducted by a paedophile, despite the fact that there is no evidence that this is the case (which is hardly going to ease the distress of Madeleine's parents). Yet the motives for The Sun's vitriolic campaign against the police is obvious, it is part of a wider campaign to push through The Sun's twisted agenda.

For sometime now, The Sun has been campaigning for the introduction of 'Sarah's Law', despite the opposition of most child protection groups. They even claimed that 99% of the population support the introduction of this law, despite the flawed nature of the survey they used to produce such a result (dare I say that the poll was rigged??). The case of Madeleine McCann is the perfect opportunity for The Sun to further it's campaign. By using Madeleine's disappearance, and taking advantage of the grief of the McCanns, The Sun hope to further their agenda in the UK. This disappearance is an opportunity. An opportunity for The Sun to milk for all it's worth. And that is what is behind the attacks on the Portuguese police. Unlike the compliant British police, the Portuguese have strict laws about revealing details about the investigation to the press. Although this seems like a sensible policy to most sane people, to the Murdoch controlled press this is a red rag to a bull. This has left them no option but to fabricate utter nonsense about the police and the investigation. The attitude is best summed up by the comments of Sky's crime correspondent, Martin Brunt:

....I really don't know if the police have any real idea what happened to Madeleine McCann. I suspect they don't.

I'm having to rely for information on the local Portuguese press whose accuracy is sometimes highly questionable.

No explanation of why he suspects that, just a broad sweeping generalisation of the type we are used to from the Murdoch media empire. And this is typical of their response to the laws that govern such investigations in Portugal. If only such laws applied here.

Despite the media's attacks on the police, the reality is very different. Many of Portugal's top police officers have arrived from Lisbon to aid the investigation. One Portuguese blogger, Paulo Reis, has commented on the British media's criticisms of the Portuguese police. He writes:

Talking about amassing a huge force of officers let me tell you THAT AROUND 10% OF ALL PORTUGUESE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION OFFICERS (Polícia Judiciária, in Portuguese) WERE SENT TO ALGARVE, in less than 48 hours after the abduction. British journalists don’t see police everywhere and they report that fact as an evidence of incompetence. CI officers don’t use uniforms. They work in plainclothes. Both the national police (Polícia de Segurança Pública, in charge of patrolling the cities) and the militarized police (Guarda Nacional Republicana, that has responsibility on rural areas) have special CI units in every major precinct. Those men are working together with the 200 CID officers sent to the crime scene.

Not a version you are likely to read about in the British press. With regards to accusations of the slow reaction of the police, Reis adds:

Police was slow to act, that’s a main idea. They were not called immediately, as Madeleine parents, friends and neighbours searched for her, during some time, in the surrounding area. When police arrived, they need to have some assurance that the child had been abducted. It’s a normal procedure, even for a “real” police, like the British.

Again, not a response I expect to hear in the British media anytime soon. As Reis also points out, it took 13 days for the British police to capture Ian Huntley, so it is a little premature to start making wild claims about the incompetence of the Portuguese police.

There is no doubt that The Sun (and other Murdoch outlets) are engaging in the worst possible kind of child abuse. They are using a child to further their own political aims and paying little regard to the sensitivities of the family of Madeleine. Their abuse of the Portuguese police is systematic of their disgraceful agenda. It is to be envied that Portugal refuses to create the kind of feeding frenzy that is all too common in our poor excuse for responsible journalism. Facts have been completely disregarded in the quest to score cheap political points that seeks to create public support for The Sun's distasteful campaign. Meanwhile, a desperate family await the return of their precious little girl. I for one hope the Portuguese police continue their good work and find Madeleine safe and sound.

You can read Paulo Reis' account here and his rebuttal of Brunt's bullshit here.

The Sun's Paedophile Poll

Just had enough time between lectures to inform you of action I have taken in response to The Sun's paedophile poll. I have written a letter to The Sun complaining that the poll was effectively rigged to produce a very specific result and, ultimately, a very specific headline. I am not holding out much hope of a response, but I have threatened (in a warm, friendly way) to take further action if I am not satisfied with the response (Press Complaints Commission - if it is even worth bothering with!). Once I have a reply from The Sun I will post it here.

Oh, and while I'm here, special thanks to RickB who has been doing a superb job keeping the blog ticking along in my absence. I will hopefully resume normal service on Friday. In the meantime, better get off to the library and do some research (although I guess I might stop off at the SU bar on the way.......).

Another Sun Media Frenzy

Well, there's a surprise. The Sun received the backing of an amazing 99% of readers in their bid to introduce Sarah's Law. Stunning result. Although, when you realise the questions that were asked, it is not really surprising. For example:

Are the human rights of a convicted paedophile more important than those of potential victim?

Er, come again? I don't know about you, but I have never heard anyone argue that the human rights of a paedophile is more important than that of the victim. Of course, in true right-wing style, the options are typically black and white ('yes' or 'no' - with a question like that it is hard to imagine anyone clicking yes, well apart from Sun haters.....like me). Any idiot can see that they wrote the headline first, and the poll second. Obsolete has done a fantastic job of ripping into this idiotic poll, yesterday and today.

The Sun is also running a petition to campaign for Sarah's Law. Obsolete has suggested you sign it with your name as "I oppose Sarah's law" and address as "for the same reason the NSPCC does: there is no evidence that Sarah's law would make children safer." It may seem a futile gesture, but then sabotaging anything by The Sun is always a fun way to pass the time. Far be it for me to influence you, but I have done the same, several times over. But, as I said, don't let that influence you.