But this uncomfortable fact does not fit with the press's refrain about the importance of family values, and conflicts with its desire to play on fears of the itinerant bogeyman who represents a potential threat to the life of every child. To run a campaign against the monster lurking in the home would probably cause a boycott of the paper. But the creation of the paedophile monster is quite unlike every other category listed above. Most of them cannot be reached by the public. Those who can, such as immigrants, are, even if grudgingly, assimilated into society.
Irrational prejudice breaks down in the face of fact.
Newspapers gradually wind down their absurd campaigns. The difference with paedophiles is that they can be reached and, given the nature of their crimes, are rarely forgiven. Newspapers will never cease their hostility. This is the monster for a millennium. Newspapers raise a hue and cry and leave it at that.