"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/

@MrsMaxDeWinter

Oh yes. Ridiculous that Camilla would wear Dior to make a point. If that's the case, as you say, she has too much time on her hands, and it would make her look petty and small minded.

It reminds me of the Christmas church service when the ghastly Amanda Platell of DM said that every female in the RF wearing maroon or whatever colour it was, was a swipe at Meghan for saying she wore neutral colours when first married so that she would blend in, and doing her best to not wear the same colour as another member of the RF.

When will it ever stop? If such asinine stories seem to convince people, it is going to get more and more ludicruous isn't it....
The quieter Meghan is, the more bizarre nonsense will be spouted...

Poor old DM, they miss the couple so much

They do miss her BADLY don't they!

She has her own freakin tag under NEWS ... next to Russia-Ukraine and China ... and ahead of the King!

It's comical!

That description of Samantha though. Thanks for making me laugh so hard in the morning.

The desperation of made up stories too. I mean, who is this unknown woman. But you know what, this kind of makes me wonder if the stories have a grain of truth in them - except it's not Meghan. You know, just like Meghan made Kate cry.
It's not Meghan and Harry whose marriage is on the rocks. They are not the ones who live in different houses and going on solo holidays, nor with rumoured affairs on the horizon.

Meghan and Harry were so tight, that he was called her hostage, that didn't take, so now an unnamed hotel is hosting him (probably for secret business deal meetings? - I'm just saying this because he once met a billionaire woman and it made news) and a bungalow lets him sleep in after his gruelling bootcamp exercise.

I always feel like the stories about the couple is code for someone else within the royals. You just have to fix the puzzle by replacing the correct name. Like replace the names Meghan and Harry, but we are not going to tell you outright who we are talking about.

So today Meghan was snubbed by Dior by not getting the contract, me too Meghan me too 😆

All joking aside we should ALL be up in arms about the lies and twisting of news the press continue. I agree with Harry that just because other royals put up with she shouldn't have to, no one should have to, take a stand and make that change.

Really great example of the higher standards Meghan and Harry are held to.

I think W is a bit optimistic about this but I would say his role as future King certainly gives him more of a spotlight than H and M who seem to be living in a very negative spotlight.

Yes I agree - it really is a load of nonsense.

@MrsMaxDeWinter what do you think about the news today that the Archetypes patent has been rejected as there is already a company with this name? Do you think this is made up by the press too?

Think that must have been shoddy reporting at best, as you cannot patent a word. Maybe it was a trademark application? Or copyright for the content?

Or maybe, just totally made up.

Yes I understand it is not a patent. It was a trademark - shoddy reporting but wondering if this is another thing made up to discredit them?

The one thing I find really weird is that Meghan's voice was dubbed over questions asked by producers to make out she was having a conversation with someone when she wasn't. That definitely isn't the norm in podcasts.

Go listen to the podcasts.

That never happened.

Meghan says who the specialist coming up is. The specialist gives their view/explanation/definition etc. Meghan then comes in the end with her view on what they just said. She never 'interviews' them. Ever.

This is an outright lie. I'm ashamed with the media we have in the UK of late.

Actually I think it can happen quite a lot. I was interviewed recently for a podcast that will never air for various reasons, and my joint interviewee and I both recorded our voices together, then the interviewer went away to insert her questions later. Some of those questions came out a little differently to how they were put to us before we began recording. So it's not a difficult stretch from this to what supposedly happened with MM.

I think there are real criticisms to level against both MM and PH, but mostly ancient history and all the recent noise is frankly ridiculous.

I've been surprised that it's not just tabloids printing stories but a lot of quite well respected publications have been airing their opinions too.

Not the point of thread but I had no idea podcasts recorded interview question and interviewee answer separately. Is this really common practice? How could you ever answer something when you have no idea if a different question could be edited afterwards! Not saying Meghan did this but it’s clearly a risk for people if talking about something controversial or serious or where you want to get the answers right. Surprised people think this is ok

"We did occasionally have producers do interviews, though never the main ones, and we never edited her asking questions into interviews that producers conducted."

https://twitter.com/AndyBScott/status/1670793275844771840

Yes, true.

You can hear the specialist talking, they are clearly not talking to Meghan. She comments on what they say, but she never asks questions.

Can't believe how we are being lied to by British media.

I can! To be fair. there are global issues with media and many other countries where the ;public don;t trust theirs, poll after poll shows this to be a problem and not just here.

@MrsMaxDeWinter good to see you back.
can you explain your derailing comment please. I normally just read posts and comment. sometimes like most threads on mn, the topic will have moved path.
so how do we know when its a derail? for instance the meghan using her title.

It's so strange that people are reporting this standard practice as an anomaly when it comes to Meghan. I listen to a few pocasts - some very small where the hosts are interviewers, producers, mixers and general dogsbodies and others where there is a large team involved and it is apparent that they use add ins, voiceovers and other interviewers aside from the main talent.

Yes there has indeed been so much "noise" recently. I can't help but think though that people who don't lie and insinuate and court publicity don't get that same amount of "noise". There are masses of philanthropists whose names people have likely never heard of but work in the background quietly. This isn't the case with H and M though so perhaps it is to be expected.

It depends on the podcast, some are recorded 'in one' but its also not uncommon for it to be edited together just as a tv programme would be. The issue as I understand it is that a few guests have been unhappy with some bits that have been added in after their interviews that they werent aware of- ie AC. Even her biggest fan stassi acknowledged that wasn't cool.

No need to find it weird because as others have explained, it didn't happen the way you have been led by the tabloids to believe it did.

@Samcro no problem with conversation going off in different directions but I don't want this to become a thread for people to explain all the reasons they don't like Meghan, and all the things they believe she has one wrong, like using her titles, because there are quite a few threads about that, and I really just want this thread to be about how the press and their coverage.

So here we are - somehow Meghan is being shoehorned into Windrush75

Are we not tired? Geez. (Sorry about the DM link)

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12220585/Sir-Trevor-Phillips-claims-Britain-NOT-racist-says-Meghan-Harry-squandered-opportunity.html