I think the better way of phrasing that is that Madeleine McCann IS special, it's just that all the other children that go missing are equally as special.
In answer to your question, it's largely down to the media - if you think the Sun and the Express printed pictures and stories out of the goodness of their hearts in an effort to find her, yuo'd be sorely mistaken. Tey know what sells newspapers, and missing children from other countries whose families aren't wealthy, and who the British public can't relate to, don't make good stories.
The added intrigue of potential neglect/potential involvement from parents made this a veritable goldmine for the parasitic media in this country.
