Can we now agree the press coverage about MM was racist?

[bagthoughts]

Only comment if you've seen the Harry and Meghan documentary because only in that programme did I become aware of the headlines.

If you've seen this programme specifically the images of some of the headlines and STILL don't think some of the press coverage was racist then quite frankly you're part of the problem.

I quote, she has 'exotic DNA', Harry marries a ''gangstar' and 'she is from Crenshaw where they have xxx crime rates last year' (she wasn't even from Crenshaw), 'straight outta Compton'

Seriously, do you seriously think this would have been said about a blonde hair blue eyed women?

For the record, I'm not a H&M fan at all - you don't have to like them to see that the headlines were racist, why can't brits just admit and agree on this?

Yes I always have agreed it was racist. I don't know how anyone can argue it wasn't.

Some of it was, some of it wasn’t. Some of it was in fact very complimentary.

The press coverage was racist. However the public wasn't and isn't racist towards her. Everyone loved her at first. The animosity from the British public now has nothing to do with her skin colour.

Yes the press should have been taken to task over the headlines by each other. On the other hand she was marrying into one of the most famous families on the planet who have a policy of ignoring the press, so what did she expect! The curtesy did it for me I can't take her seriously now. If he had married a blonde haired blue eyed aristocrat the girl would have handled it differently, she would no doubt insulted for where she went to school or how her family can be traced back to some scandal no doubt she would have happily have taken the royal families stance of ignoring the press.

Of course it was and I'm delighted that someone finally had the means, and bravery to call them out on it.

I think the tabloids are the source of most of the current shit we have in society today, racism, misogyn, homophobia, xenophobia and if they were shut down tomorrow the world wouldn't miss them/would be a much better place

Yup, the Daily Mail & Murdoch are appalling and yet people lap it up.

Yes some was, misogynistic and classist and I think anti American too. she is also her own worse enemy. I only became aware of negative coverage after the marriage (where it hit my consciousness as I didn’t follow the royals much at the time) and I’m not convinced that was racist, more about her behaviour towards others during the wedding preparations. The wedding itself has universal positive coverage as far as I could see.

All the headlines you quoted are racist and unacceptable, yes.

And I'm not a fan either - I think they're a pair of whingy, self-important sacks of air.

Yes, I've said so for years.

(That said, and completely unrelated, i don't believe we should financially support any member of the royal family).

The press coverage was racist. However the public wasn't and isn't racist towards her

Except for all the vile social media comments and comments on the racist articles? Death threats etc

No wonder they left, I think they did the right thing. Good luck to them.

And no OP, I don't read the tabloids so had no idea until I watched the Netflix show. I actually hadn't realised just how prevalent racism is in England, seeing that footage of the brexit rallies was shocking, although the vote should have been a giveaway I guess.

It's the press.

It's all the press.

Watching how Harry was treated as a child and at Eton was appalling. When he was a teenager and hit the photographer who wouldn't leave him alone, just a few years after the paparazzi caused his mothers death? No bloody wonder.

Nobody knows what goes on behind closed doors with the royal family. I'm not particularly a royalist but I could see the excitement from e public for their wedding etc. the racism and unpleasantness came from the press from what I can see and it was horrible.

The curtsey thing was her laughing at herself and how bad at it she was. It a classic example of how the press edit the film clip to show her in the worst possible light and then the media run with it.
I've watched the first two episodes and the come across well. Our tabloids are scum.

I just hate the fact it has to be so binary.

Yes she was subject to vile racism and she married into a stuffy stuck up institution. I like how in the documentary they use people like Afua Hirsch to make the social commentary about black Britain and colonial legacies. It is important we use this context.

But yes she is also a pain in the arse, Californian huggy huggy moaner who is crying woe betide me in her mansion while teachers and nurses use food banks.

The press were horrible to her, and in many cases racist.

However, it was interesting that they and the documentary primarily blamed the British media. Particularly as Diana was chased by photographers in France, not Britain. Meghan’s security from photographers was a major concern in Canada, not Britain (eg trailers on set needing fences, her neighbours putting up cameras to spy on her). Meghan’s father and sister initially sold stories in the US, not Britain. Most social media sites (who hosted the worst vitriol) are based in the US, not Britain. Britain actually has far stronger privacy laws against press intrusion than many other countries.

The British press are pretty shit. But only blaming them and not other media suggests that Harry and Meghan are still trying to spin the story.

I don't think anyone watching could disagree they were at time treated appalling by the British press. There was definitely racist headlines. They also had a lot of positive press, definitely around the wedding etc.

I personally found it difficult to know if all the clips of the press scrambling for pictures were separate occasions. Or the same few being edited into the programme. That doesn't excuse the behaviour, but I'm not convinced it was a constant as the program will have you believe.

I felt sorry for her niece. I didn't buy the reason for her to be excluded from the wedding.

A lot of the press coverage was racist but they have not helped their reputation with lies. Declaring the wedding was fake and they married the day before was probably the stupidest lie of all. The archbishop himself corrected it and the marriage certificate states the date! Lies like that and then the messaging they often gave out was their down fall. The best of which was us rich folkes can do what we like eg taking 11 private jets but we will pass judgement and lecture you mere mortals for not looking after the environment. If they stopped criticising the public so much they would have had a much bigger support on leaving the monarchy! If you want to help the environment use your position to influence your wealth friends who pump billions into fossil fuels and direct them to green energy don't attack the public for using the only things affordable to them. We don't have the luxury of splashing cash on being eco friendly 🙄

Yes, this.

Yes 💯

Haven’t watched but will now. And no the public did not all love her and even now comments are yes there was racism, but she should shut up.

Yes, some of the press certainly used her race to stereotype her.

But I really don't agree with Meghan that "rude is not the same as racist" (with the implication that racist is always worse, and therefore she has suffered the most of all the royal women).

Back in the day The Sun ran a poll asking people to vote if they would rather have sex with Sarah Ferguson or a goat. They then announced that the goat had won the poll.

I struggle to see how a reference to Meghan's exotic DNA is inherently worse treatment than that.

Totally agree with you op.

Yes the media was racist as were members of the public. The headlines and tweets were disgusting.

Certainly there was also a huge amount of positive and highly complimentary media coverage about her beauty, her ease with people how she had the magic touch. Then there were absolutely some awful headlines which lead to the racist slurs that became so prevalEnt . It isn’t binary. There was a huge mix to be honest and there were many journalists and TV presenters who called out the racism for what it was at the time. No consolation but it’s not as simple as you present it to be.

I haven’t watched the documentary, but I thought the press coverage was racist with a dollop of misogyny and classism on the side.
She had a lovely wedding service which had black people playing a part. And I think that did it for the press.

It absolutely was racist. I'm not a fan of MM but there's no doubt the press were disgusting.