The McCann family Parent Urges Tougher Media Regulation Amid Recollections of Press "Tormenting".

The father of Madeleine McCann has demanded more robust scrutiny of the UK media, describing how intense press coverage made him feel like he was being "drowning under the pressure".

A Family Subjected to Press "Abuses"

According to Gerry McCann, his family was subjected to press "intrusions" and that the media had "repeatedly interfered with" the investigation into his daughter's 2007 disappearance.

He noted that the media attention exacted a "significant emotional cost" on his family. "We endured constant scrutiny and misleading headlines for many months that forced us to take legal action to stop it," he explained.

"We were fortunate. We survived. We had tremendous support. But I can promise you, there were times where I felt like I was being suffocated, and it was the media, mostly, not the situation we were in," he reflected.

An Appeal for Restart Leveson Inquiry

The McCanns are among a group of people who have put their names to a letter calling on the government to restart the second phase of the Leveson inquiry, which was intended to examine the links between the media and the police.

McCann said it was unacceptable that over a year later, press regulation was "no longer a priority". He said that his family had been endured "relentless targeting" by sections of the media and that the press was "camped" outside his home for an extended period after the disappearance.

Recounting the Harassment

Recalling the harassment, he said: "Media at our doorstep, photographers pushing their cameras against our car window, when we had young twin children in the back who were terrified, and how traumatic that is for you as a parent."

"It's the half-truths. It's the fabrication of stories to drive a headline, rather than the truth, which destroys people's lives," he stated.

The Need for Tougher Regulation and Accountability

He stated these actions highlighted why there needed to be more robust press regulation. "In the evenings, we'd put on the news, and there'd be major reports about ourselves and alleged events," he told.

"That almost pulls you under, and you can see how people are broken by it and think they can't get out of it. The harm is profound, and we need that protection. There must be accountability. And at the minute, for most of the large media outlets, there is no effective recourse," he argued.

Official Position and Evolving News Environment

A government minister stated that a follow-up part of the inquiry had been rejected and that the news environment was now profoundly changed.

"We share the view that the situation has changed significantly since the Leveson's second phase was recommended: people now are more likely to get their news online from a whole variety of sources, which has thrown up new and different challenges," they stated.

They added that balancing the needs of those affected with the principle of press freedom was a "complex balance to get right," but conceded that "steps must be taken in this area".

A Continued Search for Answers

Madeleine McCann disappeared from a family vacation apartment in 2007 as a three-year-old. Gerry McCann said that it was "profoundly disappointing" how the press had repeatedly interfered with the investigation.

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

Regarding the ongoing search, he said the chance he would find his daughter was "faint yet persistent". "I'd love to find her alive, but we need to discover the truth and bring whoever's responsible, and other children are at risk while whoever is responsible is free," he concluded.