The McCann family Father Calls for Stronger Media Oversight Amid Accounts of Media "Tormenting".

The father of Madeleine McCann has urged for increased oversight for the UK media, describing how being "monstered" by the press made him feel as if he was being "drowning under the pressure".

The McCanns Tormented by Press "Abuses"

Gerry McCann stated that his family was tormented by press "abuses" and that the media had "repeatedly interfered with" the search for answers regarding his daughter's 2007 disappearance.

He noted that the intrusion took a "heavy burden" on his family. "We endured constant scrutiny 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, mostly, not the situation we were in," he stated.

A Call to Revive Leveson Inquiry

McCann and his wife, Kate, are among more than 30 people who have put their names to a letter asking the government to reopen the second part of the Leveson inquiry, which was set up to look into the relationship between the media and the police.

McCann said it was not acceptable that after more than a year, press regulation was "no longer a priority". He said that his family had been subjected to "monstering" by parts of the media and that the press was "posted" outside his home for an extended period after Madeleine went missing.

Describing the Harassment

Recalling the harassment, he said: "Journalists coming to the house, cameras being shoved their cameras against our car window, when we had our toddler twins in the back who were scared, 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 facts, which destroys people's lives," he added.

A Demand for Stronger Oversight and Accountability

He argued this behavior demonstrated 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 unverified claims," he described.

"That almost pulls you under, and you can see how people give in to it and think they can't get out of it. It's so damaging, and we need that protection. People deserve recourse. And at the minute, for most of the large media outlets, there is no redress," he concluded.

Government Position and Evolving News Environment

A government minister stated that a second phase of the inquiry had been discounted and that the news environment was now profoundly changed.

"We share the view that the context has evolved significantly from the time the second part of Leveson was proposed: people now are more likely to get their news online from a whole variety of sources, which has presented new and different challenges," the minister said.

The minister further stated that balancing the needs of those affected with the principle of press freedom was a "complex balance to get right," but acknowledged that "reform is required in this area".

An Enduring Search for Answers

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.

"Leaked information which should have been confidential... Consequently, anyone involved, you knew much more than you should have done," he said.

On the prospect of finding Madeleine, he said the possibility he would find his daughter was "faint yet persistent". "We hope to find her alive, but we need to establish the facts and hold the perpetrator, and people are at risk while that perpetrator is free," he affirmed.