The McCann family Father Urges Stricter Media Regulation Following Accounts of Press "Hounding".

Gerry McCann, father to Madeleine McCann has issued a call for increased scrutiny of the UK media, recounting how being "monstered" by the press made him feel as if he was being "suffocated and buried".

A Family Subjected to Press "Abuses"

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

He noted that the media attention exacted a "huge toll" on his family. "We faced constant scrutiny and inaccurate reports for many months that led us to take legal action to stop it," he explained.

"We were fortunate. We survived. We had strong support. Yet, I must tell you, there were times where I felt like I was being suffocated, and it was the media, mainly, not the situation we were in," he recounted.

An Appeal for Restart Leveson Inquiry

McCann and his wife, Kate, are among dozens of individuals who have signed a letter calling on the government to revive the second part of the Leveson inquiry, which was set up to look into the links between the media and the police.

McCann said it was not acceptable that more than a year on, press regulation was "off the agenda". He described how his family had been victims of "monstering" by sections of the media and that the press was "stationed" outside his home for an extended period after Madeleine went missing.

Describing the Harassment

Detailing the events, he said: "Reporters arriving at our home, photographers pushing their cameras against our car window, when we had our toddler twins in the back who were terrified, and how traumatic that is for you as a parent."

"It's the half-truths. It's the invention of stories to fit the agenda, rather than the truth, which ruins lives," he stated.

A Demand for Stronger Oversight and Accountability

He stated these actions highlighted why there needed to be tougher press regulation. "At night, as we prepared for bed, we'd put on the news, and there'd be front-page headlines about ourselves and unverified claims," he said.

"That almost pulls you under, and you can see how people succumb to it and think they can't get out of it. It's so damaging, and we need that protection. There must be accountability. And at the minute, for most of these mainstream media, there is no effective recourse," he concluded.

Government Response and Changing Media Landscape

A government minister commented that a second phase of the inquiry had been ruled out and that the news environment was now drastically altered.

"We share the view that the context has evolved significantly from the time the Leveson's second phase was recommended: the public is now more likely to get their news online from a whole variety of sources, which has presented new and different challenges," they explained.

It was also noted that weighing the needs of those affected with the principle of press freedom was a "really difficult thing to get right," but recognized that "steps must be taken in this area".

A Continued Hope for Answers

The child went missing from a Portuguese holiday resort in 2007 when she was three years old. Her father expressed that it was "profoundly disappointing" how the press had frequently obstructed with the investigation.

"Published material which ought to have remained private... This meant a potential culprit, you knew a lot more than you should have done," he explained.

Speaking about hope, 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 other children are at risk while that person is free," he concluded.