ANALYSIS | Meghan and Harry take a hit with UK watchdog ruling, but war on offensive media coverage continues

London (CNN) – The Duchess of Sussex took a hit this week as the UK media watchdog concluded that the broadcast code had not been violated when British television host Piers Morgan criticized Meghan Markle earlier this year.
Her comments on ITV’s “Good Morning Britain” following the explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey in March questioned Meghan’s veracity of her suicidal thoughts and the revelation that a member of the royal family had expressed concern. by your baby’s skin tone.

Royals routinely face criticism from the press, but they rarely take formal action on it.

Harry and Meghan have launched a series of legal challenges against the media, including a privacy case against the Mail in February over the publication of a letter from his father, and a lawsuit over the “intrusive” paparazzi photographs Taken from his son Archie in California. In this case, Meghan felt strong enough to present a formal complaint to the ITV. CNN learned then that his complaint was not because of the personal nature of the on-air tirade, but because of his concern that Morgan’s comments about the suicide could undermine the seriousness of the mental health problems.

At the time, many applauded Meghan for going public with her struggle and trying to remove the stigma surrounding mental health issues.

Concluding its ruling, Ofcom: said “We remind ITV of the need to be careful when broadcasting content on sensitive topics such as suicide and mental health, and the need for broadcasters to provide responsible programming that can provide viewers adequate protection against damage. “

British charity Mind, which rejected Morgan’s initial comments, he insisted on this point in a statement about their reaction to this decision.

The organization’s executive director Paul Farmer said in a statement: “Too often, feelings of shame and isolation prevent people affected by mental health problems from receiving the help and support they need and deserve. We all have a role to play. to do to reduce mental health stigma and discrimination in the media and in society at large. “

In the hours after the decision was released, an insulting nickname Morgan began using for the Duchess became trending on Twitter in the UK.

Some asked Meghan to apologize and praised the watchdog’s decision as a free speech victory, while others they called it “laundering” and they said their conclusion condemned anyone who claimed to want to commit suicide as a liar and perpetuated the stigma of mental health.

But Ofcom’s ruling is just one battle in a larger war the Sussexes are waging.

Harry takes aim against misinformation about vaccines

On Thursday, the Duke of Sussex took advantage of a surprise appearance to raise the issue of disinformation. Prince Harry stopped by the GQ Men of the Year Awards virtually in London to pay tribute to the scientists who participated in the development of the Oxford / AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. In his speech, he paid tribute to the team’s work, but also called on governments to address vaccine inequality and blamed overwhelming “large-scale misinformation” for holding back adoption of vaccines.

Harry appears via video call at the 24th GQ Men of the Year Awards on September 1, 2021 in London, England. (Credits: David M. Benett / Dave Benett / Getty Images for Hugo Boss UK)

“At the same time, families around the world are being overwhelmed by misinformation on a massive scale through the media and social media, where those who traffic in lies and fear are creating doubt about vaccines, leading to it is in turn dividing communities and eroding trust, “the duke said.

It is not the first time that Harry has expressed concern about misinformation. In March he joined the Aspen Institute fight against this issue and has long maintained a tense relationship with the media, which guilt of her mother’s death.

Now that they are out of the line of active royals, Harry and Meghan are free to define their own policy when it comes to the media. They have withdrawn from the Royal Rota system, the group of British journalists who for decades have covered all the royal events and shared information and photos with other outlets. Thus, they can now choose when and how they want to collaborate with the press.

These days, they are choosing more often to run their own ads directly on the website of their nonprofit Archewell and collaborate with new media or community organizations.

Despite their attempts to control the narrative of their message and curb what they consider to be misinformation, six months after their interview with Oprah, much of the treatment of Meghan in the UK media remains the same. The Duchess regularly receives more negative coverage than the royal family in general. That invasive scrutiny was one of the reasons the couple cited for moving to the United States.

The Sussexes walk towards the media traveling with them during their visit to Morocco in 2019.

The renewed discussion on social media and in many UK tabloids about Meghan in the aftermath of the Ofcom ruling is the latest example of how amidst polarized love or hate towards public figures, the fundamental point can be lost. When speaking with Oprah, Meghan said she hoped to change attitudes towards mental health and open the door to conversations about race, two topics the couple has shown they want, and are well positioned, to advocate for.

Commentators and the tabloid press reacted to the news of the ruling saying that the Duchess would be “furious” with the decision. But is it really so?

Meghan’s complaint stemmed from concerns that Morgan’s comments might downplay the serious issue she was raising. Ultimately, the regulator has reminded UK broadcasters of their responsibility and obligation to present sensitive issues appropriately. As for Morgan, he ended his participation in the ITV show.

So far there has been no response from the Sussexes, so we can deduce that they are comfortable knowing that their case was considered and they left the interview with Oprah behind. They may have lost the battle of complaints, but their fight against what they see as unsavory media practices and misinformation is likely far from over.