McCanns may take on other papers

• Staff reporters
• guardian.co.uk,
• Wednesday March 19 2008
• Article history

The McCann's solicitor, Adam Tudor, from libel specialists Carter-Ruck, urged other newspaper publishers to rethink the way they covered Madeleine's disappearance.

"I would hope newspapers would take a long hard look at themselves, at the way they have reported this story," Tudor said, speaking outside the high court in London today after the McCanns received an apology in court and £550,000 damages from Express Newspapers.

Edward Smithson, the legal coordinator and director of the Find Madeleine fund, added on the steps of the high court today: "All our legal options are constantly under review."

Smithson's comments came as the editors of the Daily Express, Daily Star, Sunday Express and Daily Star Sunday prepared to meet the Express Newspapers owner, Richard Desmond, today for their regular board meeting.

One source inside Express Newspapers said: "Other national titles are expected to apologise and pay out.

"The Express is pretty much a test case which has worked spectacularly well for the McCanns."

However, Mitchell told MediaGuardian.co.uk that no complaint had been made to Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday.

Commenting on the Express Newspapers apology and damages payment to the McCanns, PR veteran Max Clifford said that Fleet Street would have to improve standards.

"The events today mean that editors will have to be a lot more careful," Clifford added.

"In some ways the problem has disappeared as [Madeleine's disappearance] is not such hot news as it was several months ago. There is nothing like the same pressure for the media to come up with stuff."

Peter Hill, the editor of the Express, should justify himself, Clifford said.

"The editor of the Daily Express should stand up and be counted, everyone is saying the press are dreadful and are liars, and [he] needs to say what happened, how it happened and why it happened beyond a published apology," he added.

"My view is any editor is in a position of great power and influence, more than many politicians, and yet you wouldn't know who the Daily Express editor was if you passed him on the street. If the public knew who these people were it would make them more responsible.

"This is a shot across the bows [by the McCanns] although I'm not convinced that they will pursue anyone else."

David Banks, the former Daily Mirror editor, said Express Newspapers management had to take the blame.

"It's a very bad day for the Express group. This is a group apology and you can only think that it's not just the editors who need to be given a kick in the pants, it's management as well," Banks told Sky News.

"Editors do pay the price. They are a couple of decent editors at the Star and the Express but they have made bad mistakes and they will be thinking about their futures.

"This was a very inviting case in terms of newspapers unfortunately and they fell into the trap �?They thought they could get away with it by reporting tittle tattle abroad but that is obviously not the case."

But a source at Express Newspapers said it was unlikely that Desmond would sack four editors.

"I don't think that he would sack four editors because of the costs of the payouts," the insider added.

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