So true....sadly!

Soccer stars have made video appeals for Madeleine's return. Politicians, including our future Prime Minister Gordon Brown have spoken to her parents to offer support. A video appeal was played at half time during a soccer match at the new Wembley stadium to a crowd of thousands, and the latest thing is none other than the Pope has invited her parents to visit with him.

All this is very impressive and laudable but the big problem I have with all this is why has Madeleine McCann attracted all this attention when she is just one of MANY British children who are missing?

It wouldn't be because she's a very photogenic, pretty little blonde girl born to wealthy parents would it? I would argue this is exactly the reason.

We saw exactly the same obsessive behaviour from the press when 18-year-old Natalee Holloway (remember her?) disappeared in Aruba back in May 2005. The media covered this story every day for MONTHS. What does she have in common with Madeleine McCann? Just look at the picture. Yet again, a very pretty blonde girl. As with the British case, at the time of the Holloway story there were hundreds if not thousands of other American kids who were missing but did not get so much as a mention anywhere.

Now I'm not some mean old bastard who thinks Madelaine or Natalee's plight should not be publicized, and I really do hope for a positive outcome, but let's have some balance here. The Media's bias in favour of "the pretty ones" is sickening. If the missing child happens to be of ethnic origin, a plain Jane or a spotty-faced boy with glasses, they deserve every bit as much help from the media and public as anyone else.

http://www.nemsplace.co.uk/print.php?news.747

Does anyone remember Rachel Nickell?? She was a very attractive blonde woman, ex-model, who was killed in Richmond Park, London?? (think it was Richmond Park..) Anyway, I remember evrytime her murder was reported/written about, The Sun newspaper always wrote "the very attractive, blonde mother of one" and I used to think "What has the fact that she is attractive got to do with anything??" The Sun constantly referred to her in this way, and always mentioned her "model looks" It used to make me feel quite irritated.

eddie wrote:Does anyone remember Rachel Nickell?? She was a very attractive blonde woman, ex-model, who was killed in Richmond Park, London?? (think it was Richmond Park..) Anyway, I remember evrytime her murder was reported/written about, The Sun newspaper always wrote "the very attractive, blonde mother of one" and I used to think "What has the fact that she is attractive got to do with anything??" The Sun constantly referred to her in this way, and always mentioned her "model looks" It used to make me feel quite irritated.

It was Wimbledon Common...I just looked it up

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/nov/28/ukcrime

Ambersuz wrote:

eddie wrote:Does anyone remember Rachel Nickell?? She was a very attractive blonde woman, ex-model, who was killed in Richmond Park, London?? (think it was Richmond Park..) Anyway, I remember evrytime her murder was reported/written about, The Sun newspaper always wrote "the very attractive, blonde mother of one" and I used to think "What has the fact that she is attractive got to do with anything??" The Sun constantly referred to her in this way, and always mentioned her "model looks" It used to make me feel quite irritated.

It was Wimbledon Common...I just looked it up

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/nov/28/ukcrime

That gathered alot of attention die to her child being with her when she was killed.