On Sunday, people around the world watched as Meghan Markle confessed that she ended her life due to the incessant abuse of the British media. On Monday, business continued as usual.
The details of Oprah Winfrey’s CBS interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, or the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, splashed on the front pages as predicted. But within the British tabloids and on the airwaves, columnists and commentators continued the style of coverage – which caused the biggest resentment against Meghan – that led to a pregnant woman committing suicide. This is also true of the four tabloids whose stories have long sought to do the most damage, and are of enough concern to the Sussex press team that they implemented a rare policy of non-involvement in the outlets when Meghan and Harry retired last year. from royal life. year.
Here are just a few pieces they performed after the interview:
The Mail: “PIERS MORGAN: Megah and Harry’s two-hour bad Oprah-whon-athon was a disgraceful description of cynical propaganda for racial bait to harm the queen while her husband was in the hospital – and the Monarchy destroy.”
The Express: “Oprah interview: Meghan cost you everything Harry – let’s hope she’s worth it.”
The Sun: “SOAP OPRAH: Royal experts mark Harry and Meghan Oprah in an interview with ‘selfish’ and say Queen will be ‘absolutely devastated.’
The Mirror: “Meghan and Harry destroy royal family from within like survivors of poisonous cult.”
Even more interesting is the media tour of Camilla Tominey, the reporter who published the story of 2018 – based on anonymous sources – about a confrontation between Meghan and Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, where Meghan allegedly made Kate cry. The detail dominated coverage. Then, in the interview with Oprah, Meghan said that it was actually Kate who made her cries during a tense moment in the wedding planning process – a clear denial on the record.
And the day after the interview, Tominey appeared as a royal expert on the ‘TODAY’ program in the US, ‘Good Morning’ on ITV in the UK, and she was quoted in the New York Times and by CBS News. With the exception of her look on ‘Good Morning’ she was not questioned about how she wrote the story that Meghan explicitly denied. BuzzFeed News released Tominey, TODAY, New York Times and CBS News for comment.
“Really glad Meghan aptly confirmed my accurate story about a bust at a bridesmaid’s dress – although ‘memories may differ’ about who may or may not have cried … thank you!” Tominey added on Twitter.
At least it seems that on Twitter there is not much self-reflection among royal reporters about how the stories of the industry, possibly their own stories, have contributed to the deterioration of Meghan’s mental health.
Some of the tabloids pushed further.
On Friday, Associated Newspapers, the parent company of MailOnline, the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday sent a formal letter to CBS in which a montage of the headlines that Oprah displayed during the interview was ‘doctored’.
“There was constant criticism, blatant sexist and racist remarks by British tabloids and internet trolls,” Oprah said in a voice verdict as the images were shown. ‘We saw the racism play out against her in real time. Referring to her as ‘straight Compton’. The daily onslaught on vitriol and condemnation by the UK Press became overwhelming and, in Meghan’s words, ‘almost unsurpassable’. ”
One complaint from the newspaper chain was, hey – not all the terrible news was from the UK. Some were from the US!
And another was that Associated did not agree with the content of their headlines based on others’ racism. Such as: ” Meghan’s semen will pollute our royal family ‘: UKIP head’s glamor model, 25, is expelled from the party for racist texts about Prince Harry’s future wife. “
To be clear – none of the headlines shown during the interview were doctored. Harpo Productions told BuzzFeed News: “We are fully committed to the broadcast.”
Since the explosive interview, attacks on British tabloids and calls for change have come from all over the world. If the defensive response of the British media institution over the past few days is any indication, things will continue.
In the Sunday interview, the Sussexes said that it was specifically the onslaught of what they described by the British press as ‘racist’ coverage of Meghan, which caused them not only to leave the royal life, but at least for the time being the United Kingdom.
“The British press is big, especially the tabloids,” Harry said.
It was a deft move. For years, the British tabloid newspapers published cover stories about the couple and conducted a parade of anonymous sources.
“It’s extremely difficult to judge the credibility of most royal reporting because it’s a world that is almost without public or nominated sources,” former Guardian editor-in-chief Alan Rusbridger wrote in a 2020 analysis of how the Sussex by the British press. ‘To believe what we are told, we must trust that there are currently legions of’ assistants’, ‘palace insiders’,’ friends’ and ‘senior court servants’ who are constantly giving their favorite reporters the latest attention. gossip. ”
Now Harry and Meghan, on a larger platform, without much pressure, shot back and broadcast on television – on the record, responsible for their words. Essentially ask: Who should you believe?
One of the most shocking moments of the interview came when Meghan and Harry pointed out who they thought was the harassing cover: the people in Buckingham Palace. They collaborated with the press to spread “falsehoods” about it, or they corrected stories, Harry and Meghan said not only staff members but also members of the royal family knew lies – as then five days before the Oprah interview the Times alleged that Meghan bullied palace staff. A Sussex spokesman accused the article of being “used by Buckingham Palace to interpret a completely false story”, calling the story a ‘calculated smear campaign and damaging misinformation’. The palace did not return requests for comment.
“If you, as a family member, are willing to wine, eat and give full access to these reporters, you will get better pressure,” Harry said during the interview, describing an ‘invisible contract’ that ‘behind closed doors’ between the institution and the tabloids. Royal correspondents on Twitter mock at these conspiracy claims.
By conducting their interview, Harry and Meghan shattered far more than just the British press’ dramatic story of their lives. They focused the investigative eye of the public on the royal family, one of the world’s most mysterious institutions – and if you’re going to the British press to look for cold, hard facts about the case, as Rusbridger wrote, you should find the reporter rely. quote that anonymous source.
Whether this will have an impact on coverage in the future remains to be seen.
The Editors’ Association issued a furious statement in response to the interview with Meghan and Harry, denying that the British press, as Harry said, was’ largely ‘.
After public outcry, the group’s director, Ian Murray, resigned.
And the association issued a statement of ‘clarification’ acknowledging that “a lot of work needs to be done in the media to improve diversity and inclusion.”
Meghan’s pony newspaper as the gold digger, social climber, harridan hell to divide Harry from his impeccable family, was dealt the greatest blow – for we once heard members of the royal family tell their own story. .
“If the source of information is inherently corrupt, racist or biased, then it filters out for the rest of society,” Harry said in the interview.
For now, society will be left to wonder what he means by ‘source’ – the media? Or the palace?
The National Suicide Prevention Rescue Buoy is 1-800-273-8255. Other international suicide hotlines can be found at befrienders.org. You can also send TALK to 741741 for free, anonymous US 24/7 crisis support from the Crisis Text Line.