Royal reporters

[CurlewKate]

Just heard an interesting/depressing thing about the slimyness of old school royal reporting. Apparently, James Whittaker (well known to us older people) couldn’t get close access to Charles and Diana while they were on holiday so sat on a cliff watching them on a yacht through binoculars. After 8 hours without them exchanging a word, he drew the conclusion that their marriage was in trouble….and broke the story. Those were the days-they had to suffer for their stories!🤣

Nooooooo! I’ve clamped my hands over my ears and I can’t hear you….🤣

You’re as bad as my kids!

Off out now - catch up later….

I just need to add.. Nicholas Witchell... even the royals themselves couldn't stand him. So obsequious.

I felt some sypmathy with him reading his retriement interviews as he never wanted to be a royal correspondent - BBC told him it was that or nothing - so he reluctantly took it.

Then couple of years in he upset the palace with Princess Margaret obituary mentioning her later life drinking and lover well known facts TBH - and got in hot water with them which could explain his obsequiousness.

Then at a press conference ie time family were making for press questions he asked an entriely predicatble question about a forthcoming event Charles getting married again and get branded a bloody awful man.

I can’t help but think that the market for his memoirs is pretty niche!

The modern day colliseum of pitting people against each other and its crazy how well it works.

Writers and journalists know they can write whatever they want about the royal family as there will be no come back and few MPs sue for libel or invasion of privacy (is that even a thing?). Apart from anything else the cost of a libel case against the deep pockets of the Rothermeres or Rupert Murdoch or the BBC make such a case out of reach for all but the very rich.
They presumed Max Mosley would go quietly but he fought back and as a result the News of the World closed down. (Not that it made any difference as there are just as many publications in print and online which revel in exposing famous people’s private lives.
Max Mosley also paid for people who otherwise couldn’t afford it - such as John Prescott - to sue newspapers.

Interesting pair of dinner guests!

Interesting... I just found Nicholas Witchell objectionable in the way he reported.

He nearly wets himself with excitement when talking about the Royals he likes and admires, and even before meghan and harry had done anything wrong, his style of reporting about them was what I would call 'disdainful'.

He was so sycophantic to the main players.

Gone are the days now, when it was just Jennie Bond wittering away about fashion... there is a whole team of these royal reporters (royal rota?) who are given access to the royals, they can collectively construct a narrative. The royal rota can collude together as far as stories. I find it all quite unsavoury.

That's not what the Royal Rota is.

I know what the Royal Rota is. It's a press pool that attend royal events and share with other members of the media. By rota.

It's not about "colluding" or "constructing a narrative".

No, it's not their role. But undoubtedly in my opinion that is what they do

Don't know if it was a slow news week but there were a lot of articles about his retirment in press.

In all I saw he made a point about not having wanted to do royal reporting - yet did for a long time period. If stuck with me as a parent despite their best efforts got stuck in a job they hated for years it takes a toll.

I don't remember liking his reporting or TBF Jennie Bond either but did wonder if all the royal reporting distain was more than just the reporting bit though he was careful to be nothing but polite about RF in the articles I saw.

Ok you seemed to assert it rather than be clear it is your opinion.

I suppose that's what people do. Assert their opinion if it's something they think!

I think the relationship between the Royal Rota and the Royal family is complex, given there is more than one royal press office. Interestingly, the RR all started 40 years ago with Diana.

There are occasions when rumours blown up in the press do irreparable damage. For example Carl Beech under the pseudonym ‘Nick’ accused various public figures from the Tory party and military of appalling acts including murder.
These accusations were encouraged by Labour deputy leader Tom Watson and by swallowed hook, line and sinker by the police and among others James O’Brien. (And, iirc several posters on mn).
These false accusations completely ruined Harvey Proctor’s life - he lost his house and his job and received death threats - and Lord Britten died before he was cleared.
Carl Beech went to prison but as far as I know James O’Brien and Watson received no punishment for their part in all.
Oh well, they were Tories so they deserved it, guilty or not guilty.

Your last sentence is entirely uncalled for. If you don’t withdraw it, I’ll ask for your post to be deleted. Which would be a shame-there’s interesting things to talk about here.

And of course Martin Bashir as another highly unscrupulous journalist whose behaviour did real, not just theoretical, damage.

Curlew you said you enjoyed Max Mosley’s exposure and I’m sure there were plenty who agree with you - so no doubt there were those who enjoyed seeing Tory bigwigs brought down.
By all means report my post.

Martin Bashir should’ve been sent to prison - I don’t know why he wasn’t.

Max Mosely was a racist and a Nazi sympathizer. Not a Tory. Bigwig or otherwise.

Hang on - Am I missing the point here or was @Barbadossunset 's last sentence ironic ie not an excuse just because they are Tories or have I completely missed your point @CurlewKate about reporting. Be in no doubt I may very very well have missed the point 😊

If that’s the case, I’ll apologise profusely.

I think you’re right.

@CoffeeCantata Much as I absolutely love Kingsley Amis's writing, I have read a few books about him plus his memoirs and he sounds like he must have been incredibly charismatic for anyone to put up with him and his intolerable behaviour. His poor first wife. Still they made for amusing reading and his writings are still great.

Of course I was being ironic. I’d have thought that was obvious.