The McCann family Parent Calls for Stronger Media Regulation Following Accounts of Media "Hounding".

The father of Madeleine McCann has issued a call for increased scrutiny of the UK media, detailing how being "monstered" by the press made him feel that he was being "overwhelmed".

The McCanns Subjected to Press "Abuses"

According to Gerry McCann, his family was deeply affected by press "intrusions" and that the media had "consistently hampered" the search for answers regarding his daughter's going missing in 2007.

He stated that the media attention exacted a "heavy burden" on his family. "We faced ongoing coverage and inaccurate reports for 15 months or more that compelled us to take legal action to stop it," he explained.

"We were fortunate. We survived. We had incredible backing. Yet, I must tell you, there were times where I felt like I was drowning, and it was the media, primarily, not the situation we were in," he recounted.

An Appeal for Restart Leveson Inquiry

The McCanns are among dozens of individuals who have signed a letter urging ministers to revive the second part of the Leveson investigation, which was due to examine the links between the media and the police.

He expressed that it was unacceptable that after more than a year, press regulation was "no longer a priority". He said that his family had been endured "monstering" by parts of the media and that the press was "camped" outside his home for months after Madeleine went missing.

Recounting the Intrusion

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

"It's the half-truths. It's the invention of stories to drive a headline, rather than reality, which destroys people's lives," he added.

The Need for Tougher Oversight and Redress

He stated these actions demonstrated why there needed to be stricter 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 alleged events," he told.

"That feeling is overwhelming, 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. There has to be redress. And at the minute, for most of the large media outlets, there is no effective recourse," he argued.

Official Position and Changing Media Landscape

A government minister commented that a follow-up part of the inquiry had been discounted and that the media landscape was now profoundly changed.

"We agree that the landscape has transformed significantly since the second part of Leveson was proposed: the public is now more likely to get their news from the internet, which has thrown up new and different challenges," they explained.

The minister further stated that weighing the rights of victims with the principle of press freedom was a "challenging task to get right," but recognized that "steps must be taken in this area".

An Enduring Hope for Answers

Madeleine McCann disappeared from a Portuguese holiday resort in 2007 at the age of three. It was stated that it was "absolutely dismaying" how the press had frequently obstructed with the investigation.

"Confidential details which ought to have remained private... This meant a potential culprit, you knew much more than you should have done," he noted.

On the prospect of finding Madeleine, he said the chance he would find his daughter was "faint yet persistent". "Our wish is 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 stated.