The McCann family Parent Demands Stronger Media Regulation Following Recollections of Press "Tormenting".

Gerry McCann, father to Madeleine McCann has issued a call for increased scrutiny of the UK media, recounting how intense press coverage made him feel that he was being "overwhelmed".

The McCanns Subjected to Press "Abuses"

Gerry McCann stated that his family was subjected to press "abuses" and that the media had "frequently disrupted" the search for answers regarding his daughter's going missing in 2007.

He emphasized that the intrusion took a "huge toll" on his family. "We had sustained interest and inaccurate reports for over a year that led us to take legal action to stop it," he reportedly said.

"We are lucky. We survived. We received tremendous support. But I can promise you, there were times where I felt like I was being suffocated, and it was the media, mainly, not the situation we were in," he stated.

A Call to Revive Press Regulation Review

The McCanns are among dozens of individuals who have endorsed a letter asking the government to restart the second phase of the Leveson investigation, which was set up to look into 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 subjected to "relentless targeting" by certain the media and that the press was "posted" outside his home for an extended period after the disappearance.

Describing the Harassment

Detailing the events, he said: "Media at our doorstep, photographers pushing their cameras against our car window, when we had two-year-old twins in the back who were frightened, and how distressing that is for you as a parent."

"It's the half-truths. It's the making up of stories to fit the agenda, rather than reality, which destroys people's lives," he added.

A Demand for Tougher Regulation and Accountability

He stated these actions highlighted why there needed to be stricter press regulation. "In the evenings, we'd put on the news, and there'd be front-page headlines about ourselves and what supposedly happened," he said.

"That feeling is overwhelming, and you can see how people succumb to it and think they can't get out of it. It's so damaging, and we need that protection. There has to be redress. And at the minute, for most of the major publishers, there is little accountability," he concluded.

Official Position and Changing Media Landscape

The Culture Secretary said that a second phase of the inquiry had been discounted and that the media landscape was now profoundly changed.

"We agree that the landscape has transformed significantly from the time 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.

It was also noted that balancing the rights of victims with the principle of press freedom was a "really difficult thing to get right," but recognized that "reform is required in this area".

A Continued Search for Closure

The child went missing from a family vacation apartment in 2007 at the age of three. Gerry McCann said that it was "profoundly disappointing" how the press had consistently meddled with the investigation.

"Published material which was meant for police only... This meant a potential culprit, you knew far more than you should have done," he noted.

On the prospect of finding Madeleine, he said the hope he would find his daughter was "slim but it's not extinguished". "I'd love to find her alive, but we need to discover the truth and bring whoever's responsible, and others are at risk while that perpetrator is free," he stated.