By Gabriel Princewill-
Prince Harry’s unprecedented attack against the British press took full swing on Tuesday night when the Dutch Of Sussex announced his legal suit against The Daily Mail Online.
The attack will have serious ramifications for the collective press on how they cover the couple, but will not stop continuous interest or coverage of them. Either the press will become more critical or stop and a take a reflective stance, as all honourable publications should. What matters most with press coverage on the couple is the authenticity of any stories written about the couple, its legitimacy, and underlying motives.
Harry lambasting the British tabloid press for its treatment of his wife was profound. He said he could no longer be a “silent witness to her private suffering”, as he punctuated his attack with an acknowledgement of an “objective, truthful reporting” of the press, which he said he and his wife, Meghan Markle subscribe to. The key word here being ‘objective’, a loaded and ambiguous word which rests on value judgements, but not difficult to discern by fair minded readers.
His accusation of parts of the media of “waging campaigns against individuals with no thought to the consequences” rings true in many ways in the case of his wife. The comparison he made of the treatment of Meghan to coverage of his late mother, Princess Diana would be much unwelcomed by the press because of some of the potential connotations embodied in the parallel he draws there.
Yet, it cannot be denied that there is some resemblance in the sense of a sustained pursuit of media coverage without respite. Whilst it could be argued that such interest is concomitant with the high royal status Ms Markle chose when she married Prince Harry, there has to be some balance and proportionality to any justified goal of public interest.
BULLYING
Prince Harry’s description of the British media’s treatment of his wife as bullying clearly suggests a malicious and premeditated psychological assault on his wife. Such a charge is serious, and unacceptable, if true. We have suspected this and assigned a number of people to keep an eye on coverage of Meghan for a while now, among others.
Harry further wrote: “There comes a point when the only thing to do is to stand up to this behaviour, because it destroys people and destroys lives. Put simply, it is bullying, which scares and silences people. We all know this isn’t acceptable, at any level. We won’t and can’t believe in a world where there is no accountability for this.
“Though this action may not be the safe one, it is the right one … I’ve seen what happens when someone I love is commoditised to the point that they are no longer treated or seen as a real person.
“I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces.”
PROCEEDINGS
The extensive statement, issued on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s official website on Tuesday, was published as his wife, Meghan, launched proceedings in the high court over the alleged misuse of private information, infringement of copyright and breach of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). It reflects a deeply troubled heart over systematic unfavourable coverage of the former U.S actress.
DAILY COVERAGE
Coverage of Meghan Markle has occurred on a daily basis, if not close, since her marriage to Prince Harry. Some of the stories have been inevitable, given the factual content which have a public interest element no matter how embarrassing. However, there have been several hostile articles about Meghan Markle whose truth or otherwise would be difficult for members of the public to verify.
The Daily Mail on Sunday has led the way in the publication of several embarrassing stories involving the duchess’s father, Thomas Markle. Their use of private jets and their prohibition of media coverage of the christening of their baby son Archie has not amused the royals one bit. No issue of false reports has ever been raised by the royals on these stories, but Prince Harry was emphatic in his strong allegation that the press has been perpetually fictitious in its coverage of his wife.
UNTRUE
Our publication did catch a journalist from The Daily Express Online publish what was said to be untrue quotes from a relationship expert, though this does not necessarily mean every other story published by the publication has been false. But it raises alarm bells in relation to the fact checking process of the paper. A behind the scene investigation in relation to that false story has been ongoing, more specifically why the Daily Express Online refused to pull rectify the false story.
MEDIA FREEDOM
Meghan and Harry have hired the libel lawyers Schillings, using private funds to bring the case.
In his statement, Harry emphasised that he and Meghan believed in “media freedom and objective, truthful reporting” as a “cornerstone of democracy”.
“There is a human cost to this relentless propaganda, specifically when it is knowingly false and malicious, and though we have continued to put on a brave face – as so many of you can relate to – I cannot begin to describe how painful it has been.
“Because in today’s digital age, press fabrications are repurposed as truth across the globe. One day’s coverage is no longer tomorrow’s chip-paper.
“I have been a silent witness to her private suffering for too long. To stand back and do nothing would be contrary to everything we believe in”.
The dramatic High Court proceedings against The Daily Mail Online will focus copyright infringement laws and leave one of the parties vindicated or embarrassed.