A thread to discuss DEVELOPMENTS regarding Maddie McCann

[jampot]

We can discuss parenting styles in a few weeks

You would have thought so.
It doesnt seem very solid news does it.

I just hope it is!

Since finding that article, I typed search terms of 'madeleine mccann arrest' into google and still it's the only report of that kind. It all seems rather odd.. a report like that would be expected to have spread like wildfire the world over, I would have thought. I can't think of anything else today, it's in my mind constantly, poor little Maddie. Please be OK, little one.. I think Mums the world over have been hugging their own a little tighter for the last 3 days.

It would have been 'Breaking News' I hope it is true but sorry to say I'm a bit

It seems to be a site of voluntary journalist writers.. that article is written by a Patricia Harper. Click on her name and it takes you to her profile. Apparently based in SW London. Very peculiar that she's the only one to know this breaking headline. I'm still avidly watching BBCNews24 hoping for it to materialise. Will believe it then.

very about that artacle. the title for one is very sensationalist "police arrest portugal child abductor" and contains spelling mistakes "twin sister and bother". if the writer of it was reputable it would have been proof read before being circulated, especially as, if it's the source to break the news, it would be quoted in the media the world over as being the publication that broke the news.

also, if he was arrested 12 hours ago where is the little girl?

I fear that this story will be yesterday's news in a few days, as other events in the world take over and it slips down the news agenda - it's already 4th on the 5 live news tonight.

I'm praying that it's true and that for some reason there's a news blackout which everyone other than these journalists are respecting.

yes, Homemama - I suspect there is a news blackout too.

sky, bbc and reuters have nothing on their news pages at all - suspecting a news blackout too

there would be more than one journalist publishing it though. once one publishes something like this others can follow suit without repercussion. this was something which was stated at the time the bulger killers were released - once one person released their details on the internet anyone else would be able to do so.

I do suspect that the media isn't able to report, or even that they're not being made aware of what is going on, but sadly I'm very [hmm as to the validity of this artacle, especially as the arrest was apparently so long ago.

You may be right about there being a news blackout. I dont think it says anywher in the article that Police have released a statement saying that someine has been arrested, so it looks like speculation and two & two .

If the police wanted full blackout of this news then they wouldn't have said anything at all and not made a statement especially of a childs safety is on the line.

So I think it is speculation on writers behalf .

It's not just about avoiding repercussions though is it? It's about a child's safety.

By that I mean that I'd hope that decency would prevail rather than an 'oh well we don't have to worry about legal implications now' attitude.
Sadly though, it(the article) may well just be inaccurate reporting.

Exactly homemama- if they work to the same standards as the British Police then they would have been a ban on anyone saying anything ( police officers etc ) as it would be imperative to find child and not alert anyone else.

So Police would not have said anything and the whole arrest would have been hush hush , but unfortuntelty I doubt whether it would work like that over thre at the moment .

IMO it's extremely irresponsible of anyone to release a report like this - it can only be based on speculation. If a news blackout has been requested by the police then it should be respected, even by independent journalists. Of course you don't believe everything you read in the news, but in this case the lack of sensitivity is unbelievable

oh absolutely hm and I think that most reputable journalists would respect that, eg those reporting on tv/radio, but I think the internet is much less responsible iykwim.

also, the parents were on tv again this morning, coming out of church, I can't imagine they could maintain the grief etc if they knew their daughter was in sight, and the mum was def quite distraught. and it definitely would have been told to the parents before the media, to prevent them hearing something like this from an unofficial source before hearing it from the police.

jampot, haven't read the other posts, but if you'd read my post properly then you'd see i never said that discussing the case was judgemental. i said that discussing whether people would have left their children was deemed judgemental even though i thought it wasn't. the only issue i have is with the over-identifiers, apart from that discuss what you want about the DEVELOPMENTS of the case. but one would therefore expect radio silence when there are NO DEVELOPMENTS.

and i was, as you put it 'picky' about the name Maddie rather than Madeleine because it made Denise Bulger feel sick every time she saw her abducted child referred to as Jamie when his name was James. can you not understand the point i was trying to make, fgs?

i hardly think that me calling you jampot rather than jampots is the same and it's extraordinarily insensitive of you to draw any sort of parallel between yourself and what Denise Bulger experienced with the abduction first of all of her son James and then by the press who misreported his name because it made him seem 'cuter'. am flabbergasted that you would argue the point, tbh.

Oh FFS go squabble on another thread !!

we're all hoping for good news - lets concentrate on the part that unites us all.

FGS Aitch, give it a rest.

Absolutely CaptainU!
This thread is for developments only
If you're going to argue go on the original thread

Oh please...does anybody honestly believe that the parents care whether she is called Madeleine or Maddie on a web based parenting forum?

This thread has gone waaaaaay OTT with both piousness and argumentative undertones.

Wannabe, it isn't the case that once one journalist reports something it's a free for all. Repeat a libel and you are at risk of being sued yourself, for instance. Ditto contempt of court. The Bulger case analogy was not quite as you've summed up - I think it was in the context of ensuring the fresh identities were protected in all formats in all jurisdictions, IIRC.

Looks as if this report was premature or as if everyone else is obeying a news black out.

why is every thread on this a row?

Because it is such an emotive subject. Because so many identify with the family.

Two young children were found dead in South London yesterday. I haven't seen them mentioned on mumsnet.