The McCann family Father Urges Tougher Media Regulation Following Recollections of Media "Hounding".

The father of Madeleine McCann has demanded greater scrutiny of the UK media, describing how being "monstered" by the press made him feel as if he was being "overwhelmed".

The McCanns Subjected to Press "Abuses"

Gerry McCann stated that his family was deeply affected by press "excesses" and that the media had "consistently hampered" the investigation into his daughter's disappearance in 2007.

He stated that the media attention exacted a "heavy burden" on his family. "We had sustained interest and misleading headlines for over a year that led us to take legal action to stop it," he commented.

"We were fortunate. We got through it. We received incredible backing. But I can promise you, there were times where I felt like I was overwhelmed, and it was the media, mostly, not the situation we were in," he recounted.

An Appeal for Revive Press Regulation Review

The McCanns are among a group of people who have put their names to a letter calling on ministers to restart the second part of the Leveson investigation, which was due to examine the links between the media and the police.

McCann said it was not acceptable that over a year later, press regulation was "no longer a priority". He described how his family had been subjected to "relentless targeting" by parts of the media and that the press was "posted" outside his home for months after Madeleine went missing.

Describing the Harassment

Recalling the harassment, he said: "Media at our doorstep, cameras being shoved their cameras against our car window, when we had two-year-old twins in the back who were frightened, and how upsetting that is for you as a parent."

"It's the misleading narratives. It's the fabrication of stories to drive a headline, rather than the truth, which destroys people's lives," he stated.

A Demand for Stronger Oversight and Accountability

He stated these actions demonstrated why there needed to be more robust press regulation. "In the evenings, we'd put on the news, and there'd be front-page headlines about ourselves and what supposedly happened," he told.

"That almost pulls you under, and you can see how people succumb to it and think they can't get out of it. The harm is profound, and we need that protection. People deserve recourse. And at the minute, for most of these mainstream media, there is no redress," he concluded.

Government Response and Changing Media Landscape

The Culture Secretary commented that a follow-up part of the inquiry had been rejected and that the media landscape was now drastically altered.

"Our position aligns that the situation has changed profoundly since the Leveson's second phase was proposed: the public is now more likely to get their news from diverse digital platforms, which has thrown up new and different challenges," they stated.

It was also noted that balancing the rights of victims with the principle of press freedom was a "complex balance to get right," but conceded that "action is needed in this area".

An Enduring Hope for Closure

The child went missing from a Portuguese holiday resort in 2007 as a three-year-old. Gerry McCann said that it was "deeply disturbing" how the press had consistently meddled with the investigation.

"Leaked information which should have been confidential... This meant a potential culprit, you knew much more than you should have done," he said.

Regarding the ongoing search, he said the possibility he would find his daughter was "faint yet persistent". "We hope to find her alive, but we need to discover the truth and bring whoever's responsible, and people are at risk while whoever is responsible is free," he stated.