Comments:Jenny Kleeman/Guardian Documentary Film on Madeleine McCann out soon
Post Tony Bennett Today at 3:25 pm
The film being made for the Guardian by Jenny Kleeman on Madeleine McCann - first mentioned on CMOMM by Richard Hall here a few weeks back - will be out soon, maybe a few weeks away yet.
What I think we know about it so far is this.
It was an idea apparently floated by Jenny Kleeman herself to The Guardian.
The Guardian agreed for her to make a film. The film may appear on the Guardian’s website, or elsewhere on the mainstream media, or both. There will also almost certainly be a long article in the Guardian as well.
As far as I understand it, the genesis of the film was because of the runaway success of Richard Hall’s documentary film on the internet. Jenny Kleeman considered that a film should be made exploring this continued high level of interest eight years after Madeleine was reported missing.
As we know from Richard, she sought permission to film at one of his meetings, which he declined. She did however do some filming outside his Nottingham venue at the beginning of April, talking to one or two attendees out on the street.
Her film appears to be focusing on the fact that there is, as she says herself, ‘a huge community of doubters' – and I think the film intends to be about who those people are and why they care so much about the case.
In correspondence with her over many weeks – which I have agreed not to disclose - I can say that I have emphasised to her that if she is going to cover people’s beliefs about the case, then in fairness her film should explain why people have those beliefs, i.e. the factual basis for them.
If you are going to discuss people’s beliefs, then you should explain what those beliefs are grounded on.
To give two examples.
Dr Gerald McCann said to Sandra Felgueiras, Portuguese journalist, on a TV interview on 5 November 2009:
"I can tell you that we have also looked at evidence about cadaver dogs and they are incredibly unreliable"
What is the evidential basis for that belief? Is it correct?
Likewise, Dr Kate McCann, on page 250 of her book, 'madeleine' (Bantam Press, 2011), speaking about her having to view a video of Martin Grime's cadaver dogs alerting at various places in the McCanns' apartment, on their clothes, in their hired car etc., wrote:
"...false alerts can be attributable to the conscious or uncomscious signals of the handler. From what I saw of the dogs' responses, this certainly seemed to me to be what was happening here..."
Again, what is the evidence for that belief?
I can say that I am confident that Richard Hall’s film will be given a mention on Jenny Kleeman’s film, as by far and away the strongest and most popular documentary so far from a McCann-sceptic point of view.
I can also say that CMOMM is very likely to get a mention on the film, deservedly so of course as by far and away the best-read Madeleine discussion forum on the internet.
I have done my best to point out to Jenny that according to the new IPSO code of practice for the press and the existing OFCOM guidelines for the TV media, the film as a whole must be ‘fair’ and ‘accurate’ and that also applies to any individual or group of individuals mentioned in the film.
Finally, it is still, for a few more days, open to anyone, preferably someone from a professional background who can give a good, concise, polite and articulate summary of what they believe about the case and why, to talk to Jenny Kleeman on the record and explain their views. Contact can be made with her via the contact details on her website: http://www.jennykleeman.com/
1. What do we think is going to come of him corresponding with a Guardian journo? What could possibly go wrong?
2. Excellent idea, encouraging the resident nutjobs to pester the poor woman with their conspiraloon Theories!
And he still hasn't grasped that 'most read' does NOT mean the same as 'most agreed with'. MOST people read the hounders just to see how stupid they can be - and then go back to check that they haven't been hallucinating, they really have read that load of rubbish.
Bennett should also know by now that describing the hounders as VILE TROLLS, CONSPIRALOONS, etc, IS fair and accurate - the Press Complaints people have already ruled on that.
I do hope Ms Kleeman saw the firebreathing dragons stuff, that's just the kind of material to show McCann haters in a really good light.
3. I wonder if the Guardian film will mention that Bennett was chucked out of UKIP for extremism? The Guardian can be odd about that sort of thing....
