Before Harry + Meghan’s Oprah interview, it’s worth noting how the narrative re: why they left royal life has been twisted by the (UK) media to “They want privacy.”
But that isn’t their issue w/ the press. It’s double standards + false/biased reporting
Last year I compared UK media coverage of Meghan Markle + Prince Harry to that of Kate Middleton + Prince William.
Limited scope: only stories from the same news org written AFTER weddings + only outlets in the royal rota.
There were differences. buzzfeednews.com/article/elliev…
And there’s more. If you look at the coverage of Meghan from after she married Harry (aka once she was royal) until they “stepped back,” you’ll see thousands of negative, sensationalist stories, which are often thinly sourced and of somewhat dubious news value.
Yes, all the royals get clickbait coverage, sometimes it’s unfavorable, but in the almost 2 years Meghan was a working royal, DATA shows that the overwhelming number of the stories about her were negative.
Analysis by @Brandwatch and @guardian:
But the issue isn’t negativity. Harry and Meghan have explicitly said they won’t complain about criticism that’s fair, i.e:
1.) Is based in fact
2.) Is written w/o bias or malice
3.) Judges them by the same standards as their peers — the other members of the royal family
The Sussexes have said for years that THEY BELIEVE there is a "divisive" anti-Meghan agenda in the UK tabloid media and the press knowingly publishes lies and violates the journalistic code of ethics in order to support that narrative:
On Friday, YouTubers @joshua_pieters and @archiemanners got 4 prominent “royal experts” who regularly appear on TV and in print to react to Harry and Meghan’s @Oprah interview — even though NOBODY had seen it.
One of the “royal experts” in the video is @victoriaarbiter, an official commentator for @CNN who appeared on @TODAYshow earlier that day
@CNN and @NBCNews did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
Another "royal expert" from the video @RFitzwilliams:
"Oprah's a friend + gave them an easy ride. She was totally sympathetic + there’s a great deal in it that the palace will find deeply concerning”
He's qtd in a @Daily_Express story posted an hour ago
The video's "royal expert" Ingrid Seward said of Harry + Meghan's @Oprah interview — which airs TONIGHT:
“This was an actress giving one of her great performances, from start to finish, Meghan was acting.”
She wrote a column for @TheSun yesterday: thesun.co.uk/news/14257482/…
For the record, since I'm seeing some confusion on Twitter and I've received a few reader emails:
Media practices in the UK are different than in the US.
It's standard practice in the UK for reporters/commentators to be paid for appearances on TV/radio/documentaries.
(A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirmed to me that they are not being compensated and will be receiving no $/£ in exchange for their interview with @Oprah @CBS)
Something interesting:
2/15: @CBS announces 90min Harry + Meghan + @Oprah special
3/1: CBS says now 2hrs
3/2: @thetimes pubs Meghan bullying story w/ H&M response
I'm told interview extension= to allow more conversation to be shown "in full context" 👀
Fun note re: Sussex/Oprah connection I haven't seen reported:
@Oprah gifts books to her friends' kids. In 2013 she referenced a "Blue Ivy Book Club" in an interview w/ Beyoncé
You can see a sticker that says "Archie's Book Club" in the video of Meghan+him released last summer
Let's get back to it. For years, the Sussexes have said that they believe the UK media has an agenda against them.
But this week, Meghan and Harry explicitly said that they believe people inside Buckingham Palace are spreading lies to the press.
In 2019, prominent royal reporter @danwootton — who broke the story of Harry and Meghan's move to North America — said:
"The royal family and staff of the royal family are the ones that are very often leaking [stories about the Sussexes] to the press."
Re: royal staff:
The video's 4th "royal expert" — who gave an opinion on Meghan supposedly telling Oprah about donkey sanctuaries and being an anti-vaxxer — is Dickie Arbiter, @RoyalDickie, a palace press secretary from 1988-2000
He told @Independent his interview was a "scam"
According to loud UK media people, Harry + Meghan left royal life for "privacy."
Nope. The Sussexes say they only want the same privacy rights as anyone else and those guaranteed under the law, i.e. don't fly drones over our house to photograph our kid.
"No special treatment."
In a legal document — a criminal complaint about drones invading their literal privacy —
HARRY + MEGHAN SAID they moved to North America to "escape the incessant UK tabloid fabrications."
Not for privacy. To escape what they say are press lies.
TL;DR: IT'S ABOUT ETHICS IN ROYAL JOURNALISM
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.