Shawn Hornbeck's family looks to step out of spotlight

belleville.com ^ | 1/24/07

[Halls]

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. - Shawn Hornbeck's parents hope "to step out of the spotlight" to focus on their abducted son's healing now that he has returned home.

That plan to take a lower profile was announced Tuesday during a news conference, as a suburban St. Louis homebuilder detailed plans to build a new house for Shawn and his parents, Craig and Pam Akers. The home will include office space for the Shawn Hornbeck Foundation, which Shawn's parents began as a means to aid in the search for missing kids soon after Shawn disappeared in 2002.

[Larry Lucido]

Well, going on national TV is a good place to start.

[Howlin]

LOL. :-)

[ican'tbelieveit]

You are still misrepresenting what this family did:

"I wouldn't be shoving my face onto every TV news show AFTER my child was recovered after four years"

You are again attempting to make people who are not informed that that is what these parents have done. It is not what they have done.

Why do you persist on being misleading?

[Halls]

read your PM

[soccermom]

All I see is that the moderator saw fit to remove your post. The parents have not been shoving their faces everywhere. They are the subjects of a phenomenal, miraculous story. If you think they were running around seeking attention, you don't know much about the news media. They have granted interviews to, hopefully, satisfy the curiosity of the media and help other missing children. I was impressed that, even in his very first press conference, Mr. Akers took the time to advise the public on keeping their kids safe and on what to do to help other missing children. Even in the euphoria of having his own son back after all these years, he took the time to be concerned for others. If you choose to judge the these parents based on their decision to grant interviews for a few days (knowing full well that the vicious speculation would be exponentially worse if they hadn't), rather than the YEARS of personal sacrifice and anguish they have endured, you are a very petty, smug person. And all the make-up crews in Holloywood, combined, can't cover up that kind of ugly.

[ican'tbelieveit]

Your quotes:
"Shawn helped Devlin abduct Ben Ownby

Was the gun at the scene held to Shawn's head, or to Ben's head?

This is the tipping point. Shawn was there and Shawn participated"

I understand you well. You are convinced that Shawn is guilty and a willing particpant in his ordeal.

[wtc911]

Someone should gently inform you that this bashing and second-guessing of Shawn and his parents does him FAR more damage than any appearance on Oprah.

-------------------------------------------------

How? Do they freep? What is Shawn's freep-name? He doesn't know any of this is going on but he sure had to show up to be shown off on Oprah, didn't he.

[Sue Perkick]

If I had the money I'd pay a skywriter. "Crystal Gail Mangum" would be visible everytime people looked up.

[Types_with_Fist]

You are again attempting to make people who are not informed that that is what these parents have done. It is not what they have done. Why do you persist on being misleading?

I'm not being "misleading" at all. This is exactly what they did. I contend that not only have they done this and I have seen them do this but that, perhaps, they should have been tending to their son they claim they are so concerned about. For days after their son was recovered they appeared on numerous programs from Larry King to Oprah. I can get the video links if you like. Geez. Is this some sort of deluded, spin thread?

I tell what... you explain to me the reasons they would appear on all of these programs AFTER their son was recovered. For what possible reason -- before any detailed analysis by a professional with Shawn -- would they throw him onto Oprah? I'm sure there is a brilliant reason, and unlearned by an "idiot" parent like me. Please explain this exemplary parenting move to me...

[ican'tbelieveit]

Don't be obtuse. All someone has to do is google their name and, in the case of Shawn, page 3 of the google search has a FreeRepublic link.

[ican'tbelieveit]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1772893/posts?page=91#91

[pandoraou812]

Kim Evans, family spokeswoman and office manager for the Shawn Hornbeck Foundation, said neither the Akers family nor the foundation received money for appearing on Oprah.

She said other media outlets offered to pay for the first interview, but the family chose to go on Oprah because they hoped to reach a larger audience.

"We wanted to get the message of hope out to as many people as we could that there is hope for their sons and daughters," Evans said. "They took Oprah for that reason, because she has the largest audience. To my knowledge, there was no money involved.

Halls... I see you are quite passionate about this case. I have read the other threads. Personally I would have chose to keep my son off Oprah. But thats my choice as it would have been my child.... I do wonder about the above. The key part I am bothered by is where it says from their family spokeswoman....TO MY KNOWLEDGE, THERE WAS NO MONEY INVOLVED. Hmmmm Either there was money involved or there wasn't. Got the answer for that? I really would like to know it. I would think that if there was no money involved she bluntly would have stated NO MONEY WAS INVOLVED IN SHAWN'S APPEARANCE ON OPRAH. So it leaves me to wonder....I also think Ben's parents handled this media BS better. Prayers the boys recover and they and their families are able to get on with their lives.~~Pandora~~

[soccermom]

"The headline I am referring to, the header for this article from last night, is the same as the one at the link for kmotv.com. The one that you have posted is from today."


Ummmmmm, I don't know if the website changed their headline, but the link from KMO TV link from your thread reads:

"Only on 4: Police: Shawn Hornbeck forced to help in Ownby kidnapping"

It is possible the freeper who posted the story altered the headline for his own agenda, or maybe kmov changed the headline later. But the linked headline is not the same as what the freeper posted.

[wtc911]

meaningless.

[soccermom]

Oprah has made it abundantly clear that she does not pay for interviews, period.

[ican'tbelieveit]

Ok, so you go out on the web and pull up a message board posting about your miraculous recovery and read that people around the country think you wanted to be in that situation?

[wtc911]

You are speculating about Shawn's awareness of this forum. There is no need to speculate about his being put on exhibit on Oprah, is there?

[Types_with_Fist]

Okay. So they did it because they are like President Bush.

[Halls]

ok, but what does this matter? Why do we care about if the parents put their son on Oprah or not? He is not our child! Just because we wouldn't have done it for our kids( although I don't think we can make that judgement unless we have been through the same situation), doesn't mean that Shawn's parents are bad parents and that we should be slamming them!

Is that they need right now? No, what they need is for people to back off and quit saying such terrible things about this family. they have been through hell and to blast them for anything that has happend since Shawn is come home is just mean!

Do you not understand that? I don't care if they made a million dollars being on Oprah or nothing, I'm not going to sit in judgment over them! Not one minute of it!

[soccermom]

Okay, I know Halls wouldn't have altered the headline, so KMO TV must have changed it after getting flak from the Sherriff. Regardless, what one is "to think" is to look beyond the headline and read the story.