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

Gerry McCann, father to Madeleine McCann has urged for more robust scrutiny of the UK media, recounting how being "monstered" by the press made him feel as if he was being "drowning under the pressure".

The McCanns Tormented by Media Intrusion

According to Gerry McCann, his family was subjected to press "intrusions" and that the media had "repeatedly interfered with" the search for answers regarding his daughter's disappearance in 2007.

He noted that the media attention exacted a "significant emotional cost" on his family. "We had constant scrutiny and misleading headlines for 15 months or more that compelled us to take legal action to stop it," he reportedly said.

"We were fortunate. We got through it. We received tremendous support. However, I assure you, there were times where I felt like I was drowning, and it was the media, primarily, not the situation we were in," he stated.

A Call to Restart Press Regulation Review

The McCanns are among more than 30 people who have signed a letter urging the government to reopen the second part of the Leveson inquiry, which was intended to examine the dynamic between the media and the police.

McCann said it was not acceptable that over a year later, press regulation was "off the agenda". He said that his family had been subjected to "monstering" by sections of the media and that the press was "camped" outside his home for months after Madeleine went missing.

Recounting the Harassment

Recalling the harassment, he said: "Journalists coming to the house, cameras being shoved their cameras against our car window, when we had two-year-old twins in the back who were terrified, and how distressing that is for you as a parent."

"It's the inaccuracies. It's the fabrication of stories to fit the agenda, rather than the facts, which ruins lives," he emphasized.

The Need for Stronger Oversight and Accountability

He said the conduct highlighted why there needed to be more robust press regulation. "We'd be getting ready for bed, we'd put on the news, and there'd be splash stories about ourselves and what supposedly happened," he told.

"That can drag you down, and you can see how people give in to it and think they can't get out of it. The impact is devastating, and we need that protection. People deserve recourse. And at the minute, for most of these mainstream media, there is no redress," he argued.

Government Position and Evolving Media Landscape

The Culture Secretary said that a follow-up part of the inquiry had been discounted and that the media landscape was now drastically altered.

"We agree that the landscape has transformed profoundly from the time the Leveson's second phase was proposed: people now are more likely to get their news from diverse digital platforms, which has thrown up new and different challenges," the minister said.

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

A Continued Hope for Closure

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

"Confidential details which should have been confidential... This meant a potential culprit, you knew a lot more than you should have done," he explained.

Regarding the ongoing search, he said the possibility he would find his daughter was "slim but it's not extinguished". "We hope to find her alive, but we need to discover the truth and hold the perpetrator, and others are at risk while that perpetrator is free," he concluded.