Madeleine McCann: Blown Out Of All Proportion

MADELEINE McCann is on the beach at Praia da Luz. Or at least her likeness is.As the Mail reports, Chris Lennox and Les Harley, have driven 2,200 miles from Scotland. They have brought along a 800 sq ft giant inflatable billboard appealing for Madeleine's safe return.The Mail doesn’t say anything about Chris Lennox and Les Harle nor why they should choose to display Madeleine’s image in such a fashion. Is this not a little unusual, creepy even?At least the BBC bothers to speak with campaigners. It hears Mr Lennox tell us: "My heartstrings have been pulled on this and I want to help. I have a family with small kids and my wife has been following this from day one. She told me to come out here and do what I could. I am clearly here to help raise awareness."Such is the way of public spectacles, like the Madeleine McCann mystery, that many feel involved. They want to do their bit. But what can they do? Put themselves in the public eye? Make a huge inflatable and show the world how much they care?Lennox and Hale plan to tour the area with their massive inflatable sign. And surely it will keep Madeleine’s name in the public eye. People will be reminded that Madeleine McCann has gone missing. Parents on holiday will be made aware that children can be taken. They will anxiously hug their children closer. And, if they’ve read some of the over the top media coverage, they will worry over holidaying in Portugal.Meanwhile, back in the UK, Sun readers can go online and watch a video of Madeleine. It's called "Maddie on Mobile". The Mail has stills of Madeleine McCann at the airport, excitedly climbing the airplane’s steps.The two films, one of 13 seconds and another of nine, were taken on camera phones. “Somewhere in the background there's even the sound of her voice,” says the Mail. Ghouls will love it.And they can see it on the Sun’s website. Right after an advert for a film called Paradise Lost, featuring lot of babes in bikinis, and before “Sex in the City, a video showing a couple shagging on a London rooftop, there’s Madeleine on the airport shuttle bus.So we look. But what does it teach us? Only that the media owns the story of Madeleine McCann. And that she is just another form of entertainment to pass the time before the next show…