Kix

And looking like she doesn't have a care in the world too.

Nope, not a good choice.

Sandboy

need to get that pic changed, especially if people contributed to the flights etc

what on earth made the paper think it was appropriate ? twats could have published another pic of the missing lad

The Dean

........ or The National was told to publsh that one - to undermine the MacColl case....

Miss Anne Thrope

I think that picture was a very conscious choice on the part of The National.

scrubbedexpat141

Doesn't reflect well does it.

Substituted pictures of candle-lit vigils on the beach with a holiday snap, post desert safari / henna combo and pre-drinks at the Armani...so to assume.

Miss Anne Thrope

Hmmm, possibly, but that would require two things:

i) a hitherto undemonstrated appreciation for the subtler arts of message and medium manipulation by the "powers that be" (who are generally fond of much blunter instruments);

ii) a hitherto undemonstrated propensity by the Abu Dhabi authorities (or more specifically those for whom the National is their plaything) to spare the acute embarrassment of the Dubai authorities (especially those like the Police who are separate from otherwise federal institutions).

My thought was rather more prosaic: that The National writers had formed the view that the whole thing has become a soap opera and treated it accordingly. The article accompanying the picture is a minor masterpiece of "the significant unsaid". That view is also unlikely to trouble their paymasters.

Meow

I very much doubt that the sub or photo editor thought about it that deeply. More likely they just used what they thought was a recent photo of her trip to Dubai. Are there other recent pictures taken here on the FB page?

fluffymoo

I agree completely commander that they should of used a better pic and emphasised her good points. Please though commander can you enlighten me to what WRT means?

fluffymoo

I completely agree with you. When it hit my newsfeed on facebook, I thought the same thing!!

Bob

WRT=With Regards To.

Miss Anne Thrope

Why should they? They are a newspaper (purportedly, but as close as we have here in the UAE). It is their job to find and report the story not to trot out the line being fed to them, especially if they don't buy it.

Let me be clear. This photograph has probably killed this campaign. The picture should never have been taken let alone made public in any way if this was a trip with such serious intent. If you are the family, you've blown it. No chance now of gaining the sympathy of any observers and I suspect you've lost much if not most of the support previously gained.

lanarkwitch

I think the picture was meant to represent the tone of the article, in that the family have found their trip to Dubai to have been a positive move and so she looks happy/relieved whatever you want to take from it.

A man is missing, wtf, does it matter what bloody photo they used in the mickey mouse thing they call a newspaper here. I didn't even notice it as I went straight to reading the story.

As far as gaining sympathy/losing supporters I just don't agree, if anyone knew what happened to the man they'd have said by now.

I know what this family are going through, a loved one is gone, but they can't give up hope of finding him, even if it makes sense to do so and try and move on. I suspect the Dubai trip was in some way aimed at the family trying to begin the process of feeling that they had done all they could and making an effort to move on like we all do when we're grieving.

archie159

Possibly a bit harsh, though I agree that some people will think this way. The bottom line remains that the wife is still without her husband, with 3 small children to care for, and likely to lose some/most Navy financial & housing support in the near future. I'm prepared to believe that she did not come across here just for some winter sun and shopping, despite the impression this very unfortunate photo portrays. Even if there is some incoming financial pay-off, as some seem to think, I doubt it will be sufficient to keep her and the children out of financial difficulties for the next 20 or so years.

So, though the photo is undoubtedly damaging, I'd suggest it should just reinforce how naive and needing of help she is, rather than destroy any sympathy (and before people start saying again that she should have taken up the offers of help made on this forum when he went missing - I am not in the least bit surprised that she did not. I know exactly the advice that authorities back in the UK would have been providing her at the time, and that definitely would not have included flying across and taking up a private investigation, with or without the help of a bunch of anonymous contributors to an internet forum).

So, in summary, definitely a very unfortunate photo, but I'd hope people are able to see it as an silly mistake. She's still deserving of our sympathy, even if there is probably little anyone can now do of practical help.

britexpat76

Kix

+1