Madeleine Mccann and Mass Media

The disappearance of Madeleine McCann. How it changed the media.
Recent trends in media ownership and control suggest that the number of companies controlling global mass media has significantly shrunk in recent years. Curran (2003) notes that ownership of British newspapers has always been concentrated in the hands of a few powerful ‘press barons’. Was this why the reporting of madeleine’s disappearance was covered in almost every newspaper? Madeleine McCann disappeared in Portugal in May of 2007. Due to major media companies now being global conglomerations the story behind her disappearance is labelled as ‘the most heavily reported missing-person case in modern history.’   After Madeleine’s disappearance, content of the media has changed. According to Doyle, the examination of ownership and control patterns is important because all points of view need to be heard if society is to be truly democratic and abuses of power and influence by elites need to be monitored by a free media. Many people had their views restricted following Madeleines disappearance, for example Goncalo Amaral. He wrote a book speaking about her disappearance, titled ‘truth of the lie’ and with writing this he claimed, ‘I will not be silenced!’ This proves that following the disappearance of a stereotypical middle-class, British, white girl. Another example of someone being silenced due to McCann’s disappearance would be her internet troll – Brenda Leyland. She was identified to be harassing the McCann’s over their daughter’s disappearance. It was thought that she committed suicide after committing such pain in her actions.
McCann’s disappearance is one of the most known circumstance of a child disappearing. Is this because of the development of new media? The evolution of existing media delivery systems means that major stories aren’t just publicized in newspapers anymore. Neophiliacs claim that new media is beneficial because there is an increased consumer choice, with hundreds of choices...