"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/

Has she written an article like articles such as Morgan's? Comparing a member of the RF to a serial killer? No. It's just lipgloss and bridesmaids dresses.

On these boards, it's always 'ahh but she did this, did that blah blah..'
Just for once, can we not be grateful that the mysognist shit flung at women in the media has been called out? Just once?? Without qualifying it with something else insinuating that article really wasn't that bad 😲
Over 50,000 complaints to IPSO, only two ever held up, because they are a toothless organisation. Over 21,500 complaints to IPSO about this vile article, public disgust won through.

I am pleased for all women and don't feel the need to do a 'but'.

It's a win for women in the UK so that also makes it a win for British society in general.

And it's a win for Meghan.

I'm glad that public disgust was noted, and that Clarkson's vile article is rightly slammed. Too many times, misogyny is defended. The correct result, imo.

Calling her in laws racists and picking up an award to celebrate the fact.
Slagging her sister in law off . Whilst proclaiming herself to be a feminist.

British tabloids were centres of excess in the 2000sDan Evans, a former Sunday Mirror journalist who gave evidence, claimed the paper did “dodgy stuff on basically every story” with staff operating in a culture of heavy drinking and drug taking. Millions of pounds were spent on private investigators and hundreds of celebrities had their phones hacked every week. The court heard allegations that editors of national newspapers, such as the former Sunday Mirror boss Tina Weaver, were personally involved.

And further down

Harry is not the only person awaiting a verdictAlthough Prince Harry’s involvement in the trial dominated the headlines, he was just one of four test cases within a much wider trial of issues relating to phone hacking and illegal behaviour. MGN is now asking the judge to bring the phone-hacking cases to a close, arguing the deadline has passed to file new claims. But if the judge refuses and Harry is successful, it could alert many more people to the possibility of filing a claim.

Stop making stuff up. She did not say "The Queen and Prince Philip are racist". Unless I missed something? If you want to deduce from what she said, that is what she meant, that's your problem.
Slagging her sister in law off? What? By saying she was a good person? Or did she say she was worse than a serial killer.... missed that bit too.
It must've been the lipgloss that upset you

Just for once, could you not acknowledge this is a good thing for all women, mysogyny and sexism called out with a very rare IPSO ruling. Without having to negate it by bringing up stuff from years ago.

@Roussette

Meghan said on the interview that her SIL was called ‘Waity Katey’ - but Meghan had it much worse 🙄.

Real feminist stuff.

That Byline Times article is really good. IPSO is toothless. Just seen the chairwoman on the telly and she was asked if any fines would be imposed, and she just said the asked for the ruling to be printed. They can impose £1M fine, if they wanted. It took them 6 months to make this ruling.

What do you expect, when the Head of IPSO only cancelled his dinner with Murdoch only because the Guardian asked him why they would meet when his organisation will be doing an investigation on Murdoch.

As far as I'm concerned it was more than just sexist, it was also a harassment and arguably racist.

And yes agreed with the other poster, Friday night is taking out the trash night, when no one will notice.

Now let's wait for a week of back to back articles and panels telling us that Jeremy Clackson is the victim here. When both him and the editor should have been sacked.

A good result on the Clarkson article, but clearly IPSO isn't fit for purpose. We need an independent press regulator!

Apparently if labour wins, they want to review how the media is regulated in this country (ie. not self regulated as they are now via IPSO). But I don't think that would happen.

Thank you. What does that mean? Can it be sold? So they privately purchase properties and then 'gift' them to the country? How does the ownership part of this work? In my mind, its private property, they have private use of it, the country doesn't own it and can't decide how it is used, but we pay for its maintenance and for those living in it. Is that how it works? I understand why it works that way for the main palaces, but why are places like frogmore that they've privately purchased, also classed that way? It seems we maintain a lot of homes for just one family, not all of which we technically own.

Its really shocking that people think Meghan's Oprah interview comments are somehow akin to the type of articles Clarkson has written. I don't think that's a reasonable comparison by any stretch. Talking about your family and the relationships and how you perceive them, is not the same as writing a sexually violent fantasy and saying you hate someone you do not know.

Meghan said on the interview that her SIL was called ‘Waity Katey’ - but Meghan had it much worse 🙄.

Yes, racism is worse. Intersectional feminists can understand what she means by the added burden of racism and of course, as they said, the times we are in with social media and the enormous amount of online content devoted to criticising people in general, but women in the public eye in particular.

I can't see people rushing to defend Clarkson - he is a disgusting bully who thinks far too much of himself.

theres someone on this thread comparing meghans actions to him, so that's what I responded to

@Roussette I wondered if you'd read this? I am sure it was you who has mentioned before that the way the press and public speak about and label royal children is something that you don't like seeing, quite a good article about it here

https://uk.yahoo.com/style/lets-not-make-same-mistakes-with-prince-louis-as-we-did-with-harry-152914215.html

And clearly throwing in the ‘waity Katey’ insult was essential for Meghan to make her point.

she didn't invent it though, she gave an example of a horrible comment. Trust me, it's nothing compared to racism and people threatening you for being black.

It's ridiculous to compare a 5 year old child with the young man that Harry was and what he is now - plus Harry didn't have two secure parents in his life. Harry still tries to be the clown/ the fun guy etc even on occasions when it is less than acceptable - perhaps it really is just his nature as opposed to having been " created" . A little child yawning is not the same as a grown man telling lies.

That's not the point @Iwantcakeeveryday is making (BTW, thx for that article interesting read, and exactly as I thought... labelling)

The article is not about excusing Harry at all. It is about little children.... like Harry, like Louis... being labelled at a young age. It is of particular interest to me as I posted here more than once about Lorraine Kelly and 2 other journos on the sofa, and she called little Louis 'the family clown', they all laughed and another of them agreed and called him 'the naughty one'. Absolutely dreadful.
I was labelled as a child, it is very hard to shake it off. Very. It sticks with you, your siblings can take great delight in it, it can make you angry and resentful. And indeed rebellious.

You feel you might as well live up to whatever that label is.

This is not me excusing Harry for anything, it is observations on how it is very hard for any of these children in the RF to escape the media labelling them and how it will stick, and whatever you say, it has had a bearing on Harry no doubt.

@Roussette I have to say that LK is a dick and she delivers nasty comments in her "oh so jokey/sit on the fence" style which seems to have raked her a fortune.
As regards the labelling and its effect - well Harry has certainly lived up to that and well beyond. It is a shame if people can't break out and find their true self and not always blame the past.

It’s great that Clarkson has been held to account because that was a horrible article/ let’s not forget however all the shit that Meghan has been flinging herself.

Nothing, and I mean nothing, a person says or does justifies bigotry.

It’s so dispiriting when people do this - it is never ok to be anti discriminatory insofar as you like the person and the moment they do something you don’t like - bigotry and discrimination suddenly becomes ok.

Iwantcakeeveryday · Today 09:55
Its really shocking that people think Meghan's Oprah interview comments are somehow akin to the type of articles Clarkson has written. I don't think that's a reasonable comparison by any stretch.

No one, I think, is saying Clarkson's screed is comparable with Meghan's comments on the RF. But MN posters do tend to excuse Meghan from all blame "because she's a woman and we are feminists". Women can be arse-holes too. .Meghan has been - and less than truthful

Calling her in laws racists and picking up an award to celebrate the fact.
Slagging her sister in law off . Whilst proclaiming herself to be a feminist.

There you have it folks - it is worse to be called racist that to be subject to racism and feminists never criticize other women ever.