Just read this long article about the PR and Media surrounding the girls disappearance.
This just about sums tup the whole stinking publicity charade. .. Why the feck did they go and see the Pope .. and look who arranged .. it's who you know.
Compare this to Ben Needhams mum. Scumbags.
On 30 May 2007, accompanied by reporters, the couple flew to Rome—in Sir Philip Green's Learjet—to meet Pope Benedict XVI,[38] a visit arranged by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the Archbishop of Westminster
Media and PR
A PJ officer acknowledged in 2010 that Portuguese police had been suspicious of the McCanns from the start because of the "media circus".[87] Gerry told Vanity Fair in 2008 that he had decided to "market" Madeleine to keep her in the public eye. To that end, a string of public relations consultants arrived in Praia da Luz, deeply resented by the local police, who saw the media attention as counterproductive.[38] Alex Woolfall of the British PR firm Bell Pottinger, representing Mark Warner Ltd, dealt with the media for the first ten days, then the British government sent in press officers. This was apparently unprecedented.[88]
The first government press officer was Sheree Dodd, a former Daily Mirror journalist, who was followed by Clarence Mitchell, director of media monitoring for the Central Office of Information.[89] When the government withdrew Mitchell, the McCanns hired Justine McGuinness, who was reportedly headhunted for the job. When she left, Hanover Communications took over briefly, headed by Charles Lewington, formerly John Major's private secretary.[90][89] In September 2007, Brian Kennedy of Everest Windows stepped forward as a benefactor and offered to cover Mitchell's salary so that he could return. Mitchell resigned from his government position and started working for the McCanns full-time; he was later paid by Madeleine's Fund.[5][91]
The McCanns set up Madeleine's Fund: Leaving No Stone Unturned Ltd on 15 May 2007 to raise money and awareness; its website attracted 58 million hits in the first two days.[92] Throughout May and June the couple's PR team arranged events to sustain media interest in the case, including a visit to the Portuguese city of Fátima[38] as well as trips to Holland, Germany, Spain,[93] and Morocco.[94] On 30 May 2007, accompanied by reporters, the couple flew to Rome—in Sir Philip Green's Learjet—to meet Pope Benedict XVI,[38] a visit arranged by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the Archbishop of Westminster.[93] The following month balloons were let off in 300 cities around the world.[95]
By early June, journalists were voicing concerns: the "sheer professionalism of it ... troubled journalists", according to Matthew Parris.[96] Placing Madeleine on the front page of a British newspaper would sell up to 30,000 extra copies.[38] She appeared on the cover of People magazine on 28 May 2007,[97] on the front page of several British tabloids every day for almost six months, and as one of Sky News's menu options: "UK News", "Madeleine", "World News".[38][98] Between May 2007 and July 2008, the Portuguese tabloid Correio da Manhã published 384 articles about Madeleine.[99] By June 2008 a search for her name on YouTube returned over 3,680 videos and seven million posts.[100]