The Press & The Royals: a discussion

[Whaeanui]

As we were just having a great discussion on this topic I’m going to try again to continue it on a thread of its own. A previous thread highlighted two particularly prolific ‘royal reporters’, but the same is true for all. They often manufacture stories to create divisions between the women in the family, more often than the men. The public seem to feed off this and none of the family get treated very well except the monarch. So do we think it is possible for the royal family to stay relevant and in the publics mind without their unhealthy relationship with the media? Can social media replace this? What do you think they can do to make positive changes that would reflect an understanding of the mental health challenges the media intrusion results in? Also their role in charities that deal with mental health and misogyny, mistreatment of women etc could be impacted by this too. Thoughts?
Please do not derail this thread by discussing your personal dislike of particular members or if they deserve it. I would like a discussion on how the royal family could change the relationship with the press.

@IronCurtain yes it is anger inducing, the whole hacking thing is mostly ordinary people who get their lives invaded and ruined in some cases.

The press can print it, the Royal Family can still make a statement themselves condemning it. Saying how awful it is to print a personal attack that isn't true. Or to what JC said, to say what an awful thing to say and so on

@Whaeanui can you repost that image you did in another thread showing all the 44 articles headlines about M&H whilst they have been 'quiet'. Looking at some of t hose headlines how is any of in the public interest

Yes it could be any of us. The family of that beautiful wife and mother who went missing said they were "misquoted and vilified" by the press. At the very worst time in their lives
The media are a steaming pile of shit, I dont trust any of them.

William really needs to think about what his children and their spouses are going to be put through in ten or so years

Yes sure & the creepy sightings timeline. The screenshot is of a 24 hour period last week in the daily express alone. Apparently same source did similar over the death of the Queen where there were 15 negative Meghan articles in the daily Mail in one day, before the funeral, and onli 1 negative Andrew one.

Thanks @Whaeanui and all 44 are pure gossip, who really cares, who thinks any of it is in the interest of the public. Its insane

Is it any wonder they left?

btw I had a hot chocolate at 9am from costa and it tasted like coffee 😂

Totally easy to see why they left. I literally don’t know anyone that reads these tabloids regularly. I don’t know why people do. I note on this board they’ll more easily believe negative Megan stories from the same people that write negative Kate or William stories that are very quickly dismissed. I just find it such a strange thing that there are quite a lot of people who believe this stuff.

People read them, they get linked on here all the time

It’s just gossip. People pick a ‘side’ and read the bad stuff for the one they don’t like

That’s SM for you. Things get entrenched

Remember when it was hot dog legs and sunsets and a gold or black dress

Moved on since then. Although if people can argue over a dress they sure can the RF

What is heartening is to see people pushing back on threads started up about these gossipy articles, new one popped up over an article about Kate being stopped by Meghan to see the Queen before she died...lots of comments that its all pure gossip, and pushing back on what would of been the typical pile on.

So I hope people continue to do so

@Dreamstate I hope so too, but there is a slight change in the tone here lately and while some won’t like it I do much prefer the pushback on these nonsense articles and themes pushed by the press.

Is it because the palace were so absorbed in painting KM as the perfect English Rose mother that people are so quick to realise that the KM stories are smears. I mean, most MNers had no problem with believing that MM was a villain when stories were told about her.

I guess both.

I would not be surprised of a stealth, slow drip feed of 'KM nasty character' coming through stories. I think that is the strategy. 4 articles so far. Starting slow and soft. Guess the press depends on that particular audience that only relies on red top papers and day time tv.

Funny enough. It's the H&M supporters who seem to have pointed this out first. Guess you have to 'walk in those moccasins' so to speak.

MN has un-rumbled the press, thanks to H, tbh. Wonder what the next strategy would be.

It is an interesting topic OP. I'm not sure what can be done.

One argument seems to be that if the RF deny only some things printed in the media then the things they don't deny will be seen as truth. Maybe so. But I can't see why the RF calling out the media (and social media) for the ways in which the 'married in wives' are viciously trolled by tabloid media is denying a story. It's just calling out a very bad, unacceptable media practice perpetuated against women. William had no trouble calling out racism at the football, I believe. If so, they can call things out. Why can't they call out the media and social media for the disgraceful treatment of the royal family female members.

It's very late at night where I live and I'm tired so maybe I'm not seeing the complexities in this one thing.

The Royal Family calling it out would be them doing service for their public servants. We have recently seem the family of the missing lady who died in the riverbank getting the same toxic press some the women in the royal family have had. Smearing her character while she lay dead.

Its no longer enough just to direct this at celebs its crossing over to normal people.

At this point its now like it could be anyone who will be smeared in the guise of gossip like articles or under the interest of the public.

We should all be concerned about this. Tomorrow it could be you or someone in your family.

I would not be surprised of a stealth, slow drip feed of 'KM nasty character' coming through stories. I think that is the strategy. 4 articles so far. Starting slow and soft.

Just dreadful and very unfair on Kate. Are they thinking that certain members of the public will just believe this absolute trash? I presume it is meant to make Kate look good. Or hard done by. Or stoic. It really really doesn't.
To be bringing this up six months after the Queen died is pathetic

I should add at least Harry is doing it along with other celebs with the current court case. Thank god someone in the royal family is trying to tackle this issue.

@Dreamstate

Yes. Which is why I admire those pushing forward with the court case about hacking and underhand practices. Harry, Baroness Lawrence, Sadie Frost, Elton John, Liz Hurley, Sir Simon Hughes and more

Ooops sorry ! I was a long time typing !

But I can't see why the RF calling out the media (and social media) for the ways in which the 'married in wives' are viciously trolled by tabloid media is denying a story. It's just calling out a very bad, unacceptable media practice perpetuated against women. William had no trouble calling out racism at the football, I believe. If so, they can call things out. Why can't they call out the media and social media for the disgraceful treatment of the royal family female members. @Morestrangerthings I really agree with you here, they don’t need to be specific, what you’ve suggested really isn’t that hard.

@Dreamstate yes that terrible tragedy involving the missing women was sad enough but both media and people that get obsessed with other peoples lives or think they’re investigators also made it so so much worse. Just can’t get over how anyone could do that to her family and friends.

The Royal Family need to call out untrue articles and take the press to court more. They will not because the press do not report on real Royal Family scandals, or there is only very limited reportage e.g. financial scandals.

@notanotheroneagain @Roussette yes the three of us have been saying haven’t we, that this is a strategy that’s been used before, a slow drip feed of negativity and reframing of a persons personality in order to destroy their image and improve someone else’s.

Was there any kind of similar behaviour towards the Queens private life? The former that is. Were there endless negative stories about her at any point in her life?

If I were the RF, I'd take that image of the 44 headlines and post it on my official social media account poking fun about how ridiculous that is. Make a joke out of it. Even a meme!

Far more relatable to people and being more 'modern'.

It was all a bit screwball when Princess Margaret was around but she took the heat off the Queen with Peter Townsend, affairs, holidaying in Mustique with toyboy gardener etc.

And... and it is a big AND... there was not the social media there is now. So you had to go and buy a paper to read about it. It just wasn't online.