Sussexes statement about Californian wildfires

[PrettyFlyforaMaiTai]

Meghan and Harry have released a statement in regards to the California wildfire via their Sussex.com website.

It reads:

”In the last few days, wildfires in Southern California have raged through neighborhoods and devastated families, homes, schools, medical care centers, and so much more – affecting tens of thousands from all walks of life.
A state of emergency has been issued.
If you feel compelled to help, here are some resources and ideas:
Support
Organizations such as José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen, which has been a longtime partner of The Archewell Foundation, are serving meals to both first responders and victims of the fire.
CAL FIRE and LA Fire Department Foundation and others are working closely to support firefighters who risk their lives, bravely showing up in these high-risk environments to help save homes, families, and communities in need.
Animal Wellness Foundation is continuing to house and care for animals evacuated by the fires while Compton Cowboys is providing emergency transportation services for horses.
Airbnb and 211LA have partnered to provide free, temporary housing for those who have been displaced.

Baby2baby is providing essential supplies including diapers, clothing, hygiene products, and emergency kits to families in need.
All Power Books and many others are staying open for emergency use, offering supplies and water for pickup while working tirelessly to distribute essentials to those affected.

Open your home
If a friend, loved one, or pet has to evacuate and you are able to offer them a safe haven in your home, please do. And be sure to check in with any disabled or elderly neighbors to see if they need help evacuating.
Give back
Some families and people have been left with nothing. Please consider donating clothing, children’s toys & clothing, and other essentials. The American Red Cross is on the ground helping those in need.”

I think they could only issue a statement from the Archewell foundation if the foundation was already working on a charitable cause regarding the fire, otherwise it would look like touting for donations or be confusing – the goal was likely to help disseminate information as quickly as possible, and setting up something via the AF would take a while, especially when there are already established networks and charities in a position to provide instant help - the ones they listed in the statement. AF doesn’t need to do fieldwork here, just make a fat donation.

So that rules out using Archewell. Meghan’s personal Instagram had only just launched and was probably planned out and pre-drafted with stuff building up to the Netflix show; she doesn’t have an established social media presence to start sharing there, (lots of followers but no established trust, posting style), plus you can’t put links in Instagram posts, only stories.

Personally, I would have done Instagram stories and to hell with the Netflix plan, but I can see their/her thinking in ruling out both AF and @ meghan – I would bet there was a meeting with Netflix’s PR team about whether to use her account to talk about the fires or not – and instead, using their standard press release template and issuing a statement that way. I think she overthinks things (it’s clear in her long-winded word salads) and over-curates things, she’d have been better off being personal on Instagram and sharing direct links to places to donate. But I do see their thinking – “The office of” header and Sussex.com is where they issue stuff from them as a couple or individuals vs them as Archewell. Of course she could have said “Harry and I” on her insta account but since they have this established template to speak for both of them, why not?

^ On the other hand I just typed all this, went on their site to check something and saw their latest release on Meta “from the office of” which refers to “we at the Archewell Foundation”, which by my logic should have been posted at AF, not Sussex dot com. Wait! It’s on AF too but the cross-posting is weird. Really they just need one site, one thing, not AF and The Office Of and ARO and Instagram. Aside from anything else it makes arguing about them on Mumsnet really convoluted

“The office of” header and Sussex.com is where they issue stuff from them as a couple or individuals vs them as Archewell. Of course she could have said “Harry and I” on her insta account but since they have this established template to speak for both of them, why not?

Because it's incredibly pompous and pretentious and makes them look as though they're claiming to have some sort of official role, which they certainly do not.

Why was Mayor of Pasadena Gordo acting so in thrall to them, does anyone know? Is it a Democrat (political party) allegiance thing?

Yes, I know. I don’t disagree on finding it pompous, no arguments there (though it was a rhetorical why not! I think the question of their “office” header is beating a dead horse), but I can see why they would use it to issue a joint statement vs using her Instagram. Established template, probably already a mail merge to hand to the usual black book of journalism contacts who they know open emails from whoever their PR is, it’s the quickest way to do it and attach both their names to what they wanted to say.

I follow a few prominent Americans including Tyler Perry, some have made large cash donations, all are pushing donations and help line. Other than that it's a watch and wait. It was obvious that their plan was ill-thought-out. I agree with they can't do right for wrong but that doesn't mean visiting was ever a good idea, it was downright stupid. Not only have they inserted themselves but they have inserted Meghans new show into the LA fires. Fires that were already being intensely covered by the western worlds media and didn't need Harry and Meghans input at all.

Jeez, every gesture, word, activity under a microscope and analyzed by random people.
Haters just going to see things that aren’t there, gonna hate …

Could they ever just do what they want to do without all this utter time wasting “analysis” and “expert garbage”. ???? No, they cannot.

Everyone should just look the other way, let them do whatever …

After the ( justified) criticism of Meghan visiting Uvalde , I would have thought they would thought twice about being seen as grief tourists .

But they are putting themselves under the microscope. Releasing statements, turning up at disasters for photo opps. They are bringing criticism on themselves. Folk don't like what they are doing and they are speaking out.

borgenproject.org/kardashians-charity-work/ borgenproject.org/kardashians-charity-work/]]]]

Thet are very active charitably - huge grants given - and manage to go so without a single reference that I can find to ‘the office of…’

Exactly.
My job takes me into contact (as a comms support person) with some of the most rich and generous philanthropists in the country. I assure you that it is QUITE possible to do much good without ever so much as a nanosecond of public notice, let alone press releases "from the office of...."

If there motives were altruistic rather than attention-whoring, they would be doing good and raising money behind the scenes with nary a word about it in the press or on video.

Yeah, so many American celebrities have a 'foundation'. It's a tax dodge requirement for those who want to seem socially aware. Some, such as the Clooney foundation, are major players in the charity world, cynical though I often am about such matters. 'Archewell' is small fry.

Like you, I've never seen any of them issue statements from their 'office'. Their social media usually suffices.

@BettyBardMacDonald "If there motives were altruistic rather than attention-whoring, they would be doing good and raising money behind the scenes with nary a word about it in the press or on video"

Including not publicising the names of organisations people can donate to?

Posters on MN are not following the lead of anything.

Some of us are actually capable of independent thought.

I'd be saying they were pompous and arrogant in that case too.

We didn't need Harry and Meghan to highlight that.

There are plenty of celebs who have foundations but I’m pretty sure I’ve not seen a ‘from the office of’ statement from any of them ever.

It is pompous and self-important of H&M to send out statements headed up like that, as if they are somehow acting in an official capacity.

Snap! I didn’t realise you had posted something similar.

Isn’t fact there’s 26 pages of garbage here evidence that they have an audience?

@mainecooncatonahottinroof "
We didn't need Harry and Meghan to highlight that"

For clarity, are you saying that they shouldn't have posted the links at all? Regardless of the form of words?

I'm saying that there are plenty of other sources of this information! Why do you care so much about them posting it?

The more people who share the information, the better – ensuring it reaches as wide an audience as possible. That there are plenty of other sources is because lots of people are sharing the information – what if none of them did, because they think someone else will share it/not everyone likes them/oh, it’s not my place? Like it or not (it’s OK, we know you don’t), Meghan & Harry have a fanbase, an audience, and media contacts; they’re ideally positioned to get that information out.

I doubt anyone seeking that information would have turned to M&H to find it.

It’s not about reaching people actively seeking the information, there’s Google for that; it’s about getting in front of passive eyeballs and making them go “Oh, hang on”. M&H had their statement and links to charities shared across the Daily Mail, People, Mumsnet, a really wide array of publications – they had a huge reach and if that reach is converted to clicks and donations, that’s brilliant.

Quite the heroes of the hour, aren't they?!🙄

@mainecooncatonahottinroof "
I'm saying that there are plenty of other sources of this information! Why do you care so much about them posting it?"

I don't. I just thought it was a perfectly ordinary thing for them to do until this thread told me otherwise!