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39. On 24 August 2007, Gerry McCann, in a Scottish TV interview, said: “In fact, one of the slight positives in all of this is that there is so much rumour about what did and didn't happen, it's actually very difficult, if you're reading the newspapers, watching TV, to know what is true and what's not”.
Verdict - Highly misleading when taken out of Context.
Source - TV Interview.
Summary of Verifiable Facts
- The source of this comment is an STV interview with Gerry McCann.
- In this interview, Gerry McCann has been discussing:-
- The media speculation about the case which was hurtful and unhelpful.
- The fact that they are forbidden by Portuguese law to discuss the case.
- The fact that the reason for the Portuguese police secrecy is that they do not wish to provide the perpetrators with information.
- When read within its original context, it becomes clear that Gerry McCann is trying to take a positive viewpoint from the massive and often erroneous media coverage in the sense that if it is confusing to the public, then it will also be confusing to the perpetrator.
STV Interview with Gerry McCann (following starts at position 3:10)
Quote:
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Gerry McCann: "The current level of activity, you know, I think you're absolutely right, there is a huge amount of innuendo which is being presented in various ways, suggesting that there may be evidence or facts behind it and there are none, and our opinion of what happened that night has not changed. We know certain facts, unfortunately because of the criminal investigation, we can't divulge them, and I want to make it absolutely clear, the reasons why we're not divulging the information; we will not make it easier for the perpetrator to cover their tracks. The police have all the information and we have bared our soul to them, and we'll continue to assist them in any way possible, but, you know, we have to keep silent. And, in fact, one of the slight positives in... in all of this is that there is so much rumour about what did and didn't happen, it's actually very difficult, if you're reading the newspapers, watching TV, to know what is true and what's not."
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"Confusion is good"
It is falsely but nevertheless frequently claimed by anti-McCann posters that Gerry McCann used the phrase "confusion is good" in the above interview. It is possible that this false claim has its roots in a comment which was posted under the video on the STV website:-
Quote by "The Slave" on 9th February 2010
| "Confusion is good ? For you maybe, Gerry." |
However, this expression was not at any time used by Gerry McCann in the interview.
Conclusion
Gerry McCann was not praising the amount of innuendo and erroneous media coverage during this interview. He did however state that a "slight positive" was that the perpetrator was not being helped to cover his tracks by gaining factual information about the investigation.
This is a very different meaning from that suggested by the MMRG's selective quotation.
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