"They don't just report the news, they create it": on Meghan, Harry and the Press

[MrsMaxDeWinter]

The much trumpeted story of the Dior deal is such a classic tabloid creation, isn't it.

I enjoyed this Grazia article that lays bare the utter nuttiness.

First the tabloids report the rumours as though they are true.

"Meghan to sign with Dior!"

No sources, just speculation based on Meghan and Harry wearing clothes by Dior a handful of times.

Then when both the Sussexes and Dior report that the rumours are not true, (Dior spokesperson said they are "nonplussed" about where the rumours came from) they spin it into "Meghan Rebuffed by Dior!"

This has also happened with Meghan's much rumoured run for the presidency: Robert Jobson actually wrote, with a straight face, in his book published in April 2023, that she was absolutely, certainly and most definitely going to run for president in 2024.

I mean any critical person would realise that the timelines don't make sense, she would have needed a fundraising Super PAC by the time the book was published, and in any event, Democrats don't normally challenge a sitting president ... but hey ho, Meghan is running for president in 2024 because a "Royal Correspondent" said so (and they are so knowledgeable about the American presidency) and a tabloid published it.

And it's the same with The Tig. She is going to launch it any day now. She wants to rival Gwyneth Paltrow! Story after story, based on nothing but speculation.

Rumour after rumour, speculation published as "news" to create media stories about a woman whose plans are not known to the tabloids because she and her husband made it crystal clear even when they were in the UK that they don't engage with the tabloid press.

And there are no "palace sources" who can speak with any kind of plausibility about the Sussexes, so the tabloids make it up as they go along, whipping up headline after headline, driving their readers into a frenzy over things they create ...

While ignoring the important news, like the damning questions by the judge in the Mirror Group case, who asked why the journalists, among them Piers Morgan, have not come to court to testify in the phone hacking trial ...

Oh no, that's not as important to report on as Meghan's fictitious Dior deal, completely implausible rumours of her presidential ambitions, and the speculated upon plans to best Gwyneth Paltrow!

https://graziadaily.co.uk/life/in-the-news/meghan-markle-smear-campaign-dior-spotify-faking-interviews/

But honestly from what we NOW know of Harry (not the Palace spin) I can sort of get to thinking that when asked for ideas he just spouted the names of very famous people that he had heard of. Btw I don’t think this is unique to Harry; having known a few youngish uber posh types their interest in or knowledge of current affairs is zilch.

Interesting now people talk about how the palace do spin narratives about the royals and do cover-up for them apparently... so it makes you wonder why those same people don't think the palace staff leak information to brief against other royals, and also of course, if they're doing it for Harry they're certainly doing it for William, Charles, Andrew, Camilla... well, all of them. So... its all a big lie isn't it? What we know about them is just PR and a narrative they want us to believe right? If it applies to Harry, it applies to all.

I would say that Harry wanted to interview Putin as much as Meghan wants to run for president n 2024!

I listened to every episode of Archetypes, some were better than others but all were interesting, informative and entertaining. I thought it was a clever premise, and enjoyed listening the the different guests.

There were also moments of personal connection for me, it amused me for example, that that Mariah Carey and Meghan both used Pink Lotion, the staple hair product if you were a black girl who grew up in the 80s. I can still smell Pink, even now.

And it also helped that Meghan has a beautiful speaking voice. She could read the yellow pages and I would listen.

I think Camila Tominey is a journalist who has written and said some truly objectionable things ( not just about H&M).

However, as a woman in the public eye, it should not surprise people that she would be subject to misogyny and when it comes to the strong emotions that the Royal Family seem to bring out in people, it’s unfortunately unsurprising that she would be subject to death threats. We should criticise this behaviour whenever we see it or hear it and as much as I cannot stand Camilla Tominey she absolutely does not deserve death threats for her views.

think its quite frightening and a sign of our times that so many women, from all sides of politics or society, get death and rape threats these days. Its alarming and I would struggle to name a high profile writer or celebrity involved in big stories who has not been subjected to it. I sadly think social media fuels this, and that's why I push back against nasty vitriol online, because if we leave it to that, if that is all we saw, it will only get worse for women in particular.

No. Not the same.

The email address given did not exist as confirmed by Yahoo. She actually showed it as a live email address sent to her email. The contact thing is a bit of a red herring I think. ( However, whenever I fill out a contact form I have to verify my email address. )

She absolutely does not deserve to receive death threats. No one does. It was just a bit murky.

And it also helped that Meghan has a beautiful speaking voice. She could read the yellow pages and I would listen

Agree. I had a boyfriend once before Mr.Rou and he had the most wonderful speaking voice imaginable. I stayed with him far too long, just because of his voice 😂

I can smell the Pink now too 🤣.

There were so many culturally African American moments in Mariah’s interview - that conversation was really a Rorschach for many. I wonder if you remember but it was so fascinating to see how everything she said was combed over and retrofitted into the narrative of her attacking the RF and even now her reflective moment has been transformed into her having a hissy fit.

Camilla Tominey and Angela Levin come across as outrightly vindictive people. They absolutely have every right to write and speak and air their opinions but there is just so much malice, and outright lying in what they say that it's hard to take them seriously.

One example from CT is when Meghan talked about how Archie, aged two, loved to be read to.

CT then appeared on a talk show, sneering in a really unpleasant sour way about how advanced Archie was because according to Meghan, he could read at two. Just why?

As for Angela, she is currently the butt of Twitter jokes for falling for a hoax speaker agency advertising Meghan as a speaker. She is spitting feathers over it, only for people to point out Kate Middleton's speaking services are also available on the same site.

Angela has also retweeted conspiracy theories about Meghan's pregnancies. She is an odd person and, like CT, comes across as really bitter.

But they are nowhere near as besotted in a worrying way as the obsessed trio of Bower, Wootton and Morgan!! Ye Gods!

I see now.

I stayed with someone way too long because of how beautiful he was 🤣.

@skullbabe

I really loved that interview, so many black girl moments shared by two women of whom it is often said are "not really black."

PS did you also have the stretching comb thing as a kid? We lived in an African township when I was a girl, our country was segregated by race, hence the term "African township". Across the township you could smell, on Sundays, the strong smell of burning hair ... and margarine.

This was before we moved to the suburbs and discovered the gooey glories of Pink ...

As part of wearing "Sunday best", all the girls and women had our hair straightened with a hot stretching comb as we called it, aided only by vaseline or margarine.

We thought we looked FLY!

😅

@Roussette

I sympathise! I once dated a fella whose voice was so rich in its timbre that even when he was whiny and self-important, he still had a beautiful voice!! I used to make him read to me, like an early version of an audio book on demand. And he could sing. But on the downside, he really liked to sing Lionel Richie's 'Once, twice, three times a lady' which is one of those cringey songs you really don't want anyone singing as he looks deeply into your eyes. It was very hard to keep a straight face!

whispers I still have a hot comb 🤣

I mean we should share war stories about burnt ears and the sizzling but when it was done - man you couldn’t tell me nothing! I was swishing my hair all over the place until it rained or it had to be braided up for protective styling.

I don’t use the comb anymore - I lost most of my hair postpartum with my second and I’m avoiding heat styling with the kids (I was also petrified I might burn them). But the memories give me a warm reflective feeling - much like that conversation did.

Now you’ve ear wormed me!

No. Not the same.

The email address given did not exist as confirmed by Yahoo. She actually showed it as a live email address sent to her email. The contact thing is a bit of a red herring I think. ( However, whenever I fill out a contact form I have to verify my email address. )

I’ve looked into this now, and actually it is exactly the same as I stated.

Camilla’s website at the time (the death threat was sent in June 2021, the screenshot below shows what her website looked like in April 2021) had a “Contact me form” where you could enter your message, fill in the title, name and email address, and press send. The content email then gets routed directly to Camilla as an email. For obvious reasons, she has now removed this function.

When she tweeted the threat she had received, the message header said “New email from website camillatominey.com” and then showed the text. So clearly, the sender had used the contact form and stuck in a fake email address (and fake title “Monster” and name “You have 3 kids” as well).

These contact forms don’t verify the email address in any way - they just pass it on with the message. Verification would mean the server pings back the entered email address with an email containing a link that you need to then click on to return to the screen in order to be able to send your message. That is not what this form (or any other I’ve come across) do.

So I don’t think it’s murky at all. I’m not sure what the allegation is intended to suggest to be honest - that this while thing was faked?

Brilliant 😅😅

I'm laughing out loud at your post!

This ex guy with the most beautiful voice hung around too long because I could barely listen to what he was saying, for swooning! I learnt my lesson there, should've been shot of him months before!

Gosh.

Not sure what to say here. Well done on the extensive research and knowledge!

CT has form for lying about M&H and retweeting horrible stuff about them, and as has been said on here repeatedly, if they show you who they are, believe them.
Nothing would surprise me about CT but, as normal, you've got me banged to rights with your knowledge 🤣

No one should receive death threats, NO ONE, who knows who sent it...... Is all I'll say, and I am not alone in this thinking

This is making me laugh! I have a similar story, only my partner is also a pretty great person and we're happily together a long time! He used to read and sing to me when we first met all the time, still reads to me now but not so much the singing :) sadly despite many requests he will not start a podcast, YouTube... or even appear on other peoples! he has a great voice, explains things really well, does as lot of public speaking and would be fantastic but no, being in the business I think he has no interest in being online or highly visible in any way, more a behind the scenes kinda person.

You struck lucky there, the whole package! DH ... the one thing he does that drives me potty is...warbling to himself in a sort of operatic tone. Not good 🤣

Your husband would fit right into our household @MarcelProust

Once a week when my DC was a kid, we used to have Opera Voice Day, where we sung to each other like we were in an opera.

Mummy where is the remoooote pleeeeeese?

I think its undeeeeeer the couuuuuuch!

Fooooound it, thank youuuuuuuuu!

Good times!

Sorry that message was for @Roussette

!!!

😂one of my kids is obsessed with the episode of Malcolm In The Middle where Dewey writes an opera based on his parents and family, the actors actually sing the episode, have you seen it? @MrsMaxDeWinter that's what I am imagining your family doing now 😂