Summers & Swan - A new book - Looking For Madeleine

[Mr Gray]

But the authors boast of extensive research. Are you suggesting they have merely arranged the already accessible facts into an easily read format ? My Davel that is a revelation. It seems you are accusing them of misrepresentation.

Extensive research is a subjective phrase...they have carried out what seems to be extensive research...dog's...dna...sedatives...and shown the doubters theories are baseless

[faithlilly]

Would you say that you have done extensive research on the McCann case?

research
 Top 1000 frequently used words
Line breaks: re|search
Pronunciation: /rɪˈsəːtʃ    , ˈriːsəːtʃ    /
NOUN

[MASS NOUN] (also researches)
1The systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions:

Summers has established no facts, merely speculated about the significance of facts which are already in the public domain as we all do and certainly has reached no new conclusions.

[Alfred R Jones]

research
 Top 1000 frequently used words
Line breaks: re|search
Pronunciation: /rɪˈsəːtʃ    , ˈriːsəːtʃ    /
NOUN

[MASS NOUN] (also researches)
1The systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions:

Summers has established no facts, merely speculated about the significance of facts which are already in the public domain as we all do and certainly has reached no new conclusions.

Would you say that you have done extensive research into the McCann case?

[Mr Gray]

research
 Top 1000 frequently used words
Line breaks: re|search
Pronunciation: /rɪˈsəːtʃ    , ˈriːsəːtʃ    /
NOUN

[MASS NOUN] (also researches)
1The systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions:

Summers has established no facts, merely speculated about the significance of facts which are already in the public domain as we all do and certainly has reached no new conclusions.

You don't understand once again...you have quoted what appears to be  a definition of scientific research...

research in the a general sense can be research into already known facts that are not generally well known. I could research the life of an historical figure which would not reveal any new facts but would still constitute research...you really are flogging a dead horse.

[faithlilly]

You don't understand once again...you have quoted what appears to be  a definition of scientific research...

research in the a general sense can be research into already known facts that are not generally well known. I could research the life of an historical figure which would not reveal any new facts but would still constitute research...you really are flogging a dead horse.

This is what the authors boast :

'Award-winning authors Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan have produced the first independent, objective account of the case. They have examined the released Portuguese files, conducted in-depth interviews and original research to answer the questions: What can we really know about this most emotive of cases? What can we learn from it? '

Original research, in-depth interviews ? Not in the book I read.

[faithlilly]

Would you say that you have done extensive research into the McCann case?

I have read extensively but if research means cutting and pasting old newspaper articles into a more user-friendly narrative then I guess I have done that too.

[Mr Gray]

This is what the authors boast :

'Award-winning authors Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan have produced the first independent, objective account of the case. They have examined the released Portuguese files, conducted in-depth interviews and original research to answer the questions: What can we really know about this most emotive of cases? What can we learn from it? '

Original research, in-depth interviews ? Not in the book I read.

Read your post again and you will see that it is not what the authors boast....the ability to read critically and understand is very important...you seem to be lacking in this area

[faithlilly]

Read your post again and you will see that it is not what the authors boast....the ability to read critically and understand is very important...you seem to be lacking in this area

So do you feel the publishers have been less than honest on the author’s behalf ?

[Mr Gray]

So do you feel the publishers have been less than honest on the author’s behalf ?

I feel that many of your posts are highly innaccurate

[Alice Purjorick]

I feel that many of your posts are highly innaccurate

Pots kettles and black me dear.

[faithlilly]

I'm doing the exact opposite to propagandising and suggesting the reader decides whether Mr Summers claims of new research, in-depth interviews and original conclusions stands up to scrutiny. I have my opinion of the author's claims but I am inviting the reader to do some real research rather than accept my view. Why do you have a problem with that ?

[Alfred R Jones]

I'm doing the exact opposite to propagandising and suggesting the reader decides whether Mr Summers claims of new research, in-depth interviews and original conclusions stands up to scrutiny. I have my opinion of the author's claims but I am inviting the reader to do some real research rather than accept my view. Why do you have a problem with that ?

Rubbish.    I have read (most of) the book and I do not share your opinion of the author which is why I am now asking you to explain yourself.  You are obviously choosing not to, either because you are scared to or because you simply haven't got any examples from the book - so which is it?

[Alfred R Jones]

In part two of Len Port's interview with Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan, the authors explain more about the background to their new book Looking for Madeleine, their thoughts on the police investigations so far, and what may now lie ahead in this extraordinary case.

How did you conduct your research? What was the process you followed?

First and foremost, we spent months doing what we have done on our previous eight books, reading all possible available documentation – in many cases a logistic challenge because of the Portuguese language factor. All of this was sorted and allocated and built into a vast chronology. Chronology, carefully assembled, is the key to investigation – whether by law enforcement or non-fiction authors.

When did you come to the conclusion that Kate and Gerry McCann played no part in covering up their daughter’s disappearance and that claims of this are unfounded?

Were we to have to put a date on this current view of ours, we would say it was at the stage a few months ago when – after all the months of analysing the available evidence and testimony – we were finalizing the manuscript.

Can your book be accurately considered as ‘the definitive account’ of this unsolved case?

Note that our publisher has said that the book is “the most definitive account possible.” Possible at this time. We hope and believe that it is exactly the case at this point, as of September 2014. Events yet to occur may change that and – as and when they do – we would hope to update our work.

Your book has been described as ‘a whitewash’ and ‘propaganda,’ and criticism has been levelled at the amount of ‘spin’ it received in the British media before publication? What is your reaction to this?

It is emphatically not a whitewash, whether or not those making the allegations choose to believe it or not. Should they look at the available evidence and testimony, and in turn how we report it in Looking for Madeleine, they will find such allegations untenable. We know of no articles about us or the book that could be called "spin.” There have been news stories based on the information in the book - that is reporting.

*****

[faithlilly]

In part two of Len Port's interview with Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan, the authors explain more about the background to their new book Looking for Madeleine, their thoughts on the police investigations so far, and what may now lie ahead in this extraordinary case.

How did you conduct your research? What was the process you followed?

First and foremost, we spent months doing what we have done on our previous eight books, reading all possible available documentation – in many cases a logistic challenge because of the Portuguese language factor. All of this was sorted and allocated and built into a vast chronology. Chronology, carefully assembled, is the key to investigation – whether by law enforcement or non-fiction authors.

When did you come to the conclusion that Kate and Gerry McCann played no part in covering up their daughter’s disappearance and that claims of this are unfounded?

Were we to have to put a date on this current view of ours, we would say it was at the stage a few months ago when – after all the months of analysing the available evidence and testimony – we were finalizing the manuscript.

Can your book be accurately considered as ‘the definitive account’ of this unsolved case?

Note that our publisher has said that the book is “the most definitive account possible.” Possible at this time. We hope and believe that it is exactly the case at this point, as of September 2014. Events yet to occur may change that and – as and when they do – we would hope to update our work.

Your book has been described as ‘a whitewash’ and ‘propaganda,’ and criticism has been levelled at the amount of ‘spin’ it received in the British media before publication? What is your reaction to this?

It is emphatically not a whitewash, whether or not those making the allegations choose to believe it or not. Should they look at the available evidence and testimony, and in turn how we report it in Looking for Madeleine, they will find such allegations untenable. We know of no articles about us or the book that could be called "spin.” There have been news stories based on the information in the book - that is reporting.

Shall we do what the authors suggest in the article and let the reader decide ?

[Alfred R Jones]

Shall we do what the authors suggest in the article and let the reader decide ?

Sure, I understand.  You're backing down and rather regretting your wild accusations about the author.  let the reader decide is a very good idea, one which you should have adopted from the off, rather than poor scorn and ridicule on the book before you'd even read it!