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Shannon Matthews
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
I don't know if any of you watched the One Show tonight but the missing Shannon Matthews story came up.
Unlike the McCanns, this story has fallen under the radar because the media bosses probably don't find her as attractive as missing Madeleine. Furthermore, her mother is a single-parent Northerner from a run-down council estate. Not the sort of people society wants to see over their breakfast newspaper. At this stage in the investigation, the McCanns had £2.5 million in their appeal account, whereas Shannon Matthews has just £25 thousand, £20 thousand of which was donated by the Sun newspaper.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/theoneshow/article/2008/03/jr_shannon.shtml
Very, very sad.
Unlike the McCanns, this story has fallen under the radar because the media bosses probably don't find her as attractive as missing Madeleine. Furthermore, her mother is a single-parent Northerner from a run-down council estate. Not the sort of people society wants to see over their breakfast newspaper. At this stage in the investigation, the McCanns had £2.5 million in their appeal account, whereas Shannon Matthews has just £25 thousand, £20 thousand of which was donated by the Sun newspaper.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/theoneshow/article/2008/03/jr_shannon.shtml
Very, very sad.
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Comments
I think the main reason it hasn't hit the news a great deal is that the local police have firmly believed since day one that she is in the local area, only now are they starting to realise something greater is up.
Sad but very true.
BBC article on it.
It's partially because the McCanns were middle class and were able to mobilise a campaign and partially girl going missing from school is more 'common' than kids being kidnapped from a room (and they're not sure whether she ran away or being kidnapped)
We can't have it both ways. When the whole Madeline McCann thing was going on, nobody would shut up about how the coverage was disproportionate. And now some other kid goes missing, and everyone's whinging that she's not given enough time. Not that I'm suggesting for one second that the newspapers are responding to public opinion on this one.
Ah, but you are from up North, aren't you? So its on local news and newspapers? Well, there hasn't been much down our way and thus, I have seen no fund-raising appeals etc as what happened with the McCanns.
It's an incredibly upsetting case. It's still getting coverage but in a very off-hand way, a by-line or a last minute mention on the news (certainly radio news, not sure about national televised). But then of course the papers can't expect to drum up any sympathy whatsoever on the front page when they're spewing bile about the family's (read: mother and boyfriend) lifestyle on the inside pages. That part is definitely a class issue, and there's no doubt that the journalists and editors who covered the Madeleine case would have strongly identified and thought "that could've been me [neglecting to arrange childcare in a middle-class foreign holiday resort]" in a way they just canNOT identify with northerns from a working-class housing estate. Let us not forget the media reviles and preaches about mothers who have children by different fathers - remember the shrieks about Ulrika Johnson. How dare she have three kids by three different men? The shame! She should be stop NOW for the sake of all that is good and decent! She is a woman who can financially support her children herself... so it's unimaginable the vitriol they must have reserved for people like Shannon Matthew's mum. It's sickening, really.
In my own opinion, I find it a lot more worrying - and thus interesting from a reader's perspective - to hear about children disappearing on their humdrum walk home from school. More worrying than an unwatched child being abducted (or not?) from a holiday apartment. Unfathomably awful and terrifying and gut-wrenching but also avoidable, and certainly not an everyday occurrence. Children walk home from school everyday, if my children were of school age this would strike fear into my heart without a doubt.
I hope she's found, I really, really do. I'm not hopeful though, and I'm not hopeful about who is going to ultimately be blamed by the pointing finger of the media. Again, no foreign police to blame so it will fall closer to home, undeservedly.
You can only have one full hysteria phenomenon every so long- otherwise 'fatigue' sets in. So first it was Saint Diana, then Sarah Payne, then the Soham girls... and last year the time was ripe and conditions perfect for another dose of mass hysteria when suddenly Madeleine McCann disappeared.
Expect no media obsession with any other child disappearances for a few months yet- and then the case will have to meet the required criteria. All other children that are kidnapped or killed... well tough luck. :rolleyes:
The girl's mother has made me feel like a right old plonker. :grump:
http://uk.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUKL0822425220080409
The bitch has just added more fuel to the finger-pointing at poor, single-parent, council estate mothers ....
If she is guilty of being involved in some 'McCann fund' type money-making scam, I hope she sits in jail a long time and her kids ARE taken away from her.
p.s. Thank goodness Shannon herself, was found safe. That is the highlight of the story.
p.p.s. I know this is an old'ish thread ... just want to keep the context.
Its alleged they got the idea from the episode of 'Shameless'
If she was involved she'll deserve all she gets.
Apologies if this post is a bit harsh..but the whole situation has riled me!
She is also innocent until proven otherwise. Trial by media is not justice.
Unless it's a drama documentary by Nick Broomfield
If you remember correctly those cases aren't even going to court, which was the point being made there
But surely if they are innocent and it's known they shouldn't have to go to court
(to be fair I just couldn't resist seeing a chain to yank - by the sounds of the Haditha case it's probably a plea bargain - though a defence of in a confused situation and seeing someone else firing at targets the one who was let off also opened fire believing his life and that of his colleagues was in imminent danger can't be discounted with the info we have)
likewise more noise was made about it only after the row about hardly any coverage the BBC (radio) went dead on it for a week or so before it went on the news again because of the limited cover outcry