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Meghan & Harry Are Fed Up—and So Are We
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, also known as Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, are fed up to here and they’re letting everyone know about it.
They’ve publicly drawn a line in the sand and are standing firmly on the side of truth and decency. In a letter made public via People, the newly expatriated royals recently broke off relations with four major UK tabloids, The Sun, The Daily Mail, The Mirror and The Express, citing their reason for the disconnection in unmistakable terms:
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have watched people they know—as well as complete strangers—have their lives completely pulled apart for no good reason, other than the fact that salacious gossip boosts advertising revenue. With that said, please note that The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will not be engaging with your outlet. There will be no corroboration and zero engagement.”
The couple’s public statement is a shot across the bow at a disturbing trend that has become the new normal over recent decades: the overt and covert catering of too much of the mass media toward the prurient and the suggestive, at the expense of facts, and with no thought of consequences other than circulation.
Who’s “we?” Every hard-working person, every group, every minority religion with a public presence that bears the scars from media lies and canards.
The Prince and Ms. Markle’s statement continued, in part: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are looking forward to working with journalists and media organizations all over the world, engaging with grassroots media, regional and local media, and young, up-and-coming journalists, to spotlight issues and causes that so desperately need acknowledging. And they look forward to doing whatever they can to help further opportunities for more diverse and underrepresented voices, who are needed now more than ever. What they won’t do is offer themselves up as currency for an economy of clickbait and distortion.”
Unfortunately, every improvement in communication technology brings out both the best and the worst in us. The ability to whisper a thought and have it echoed around the world and back in seconds benefits saint and slime-slinger alike.
So I hear you, Meghan and Harry, when you say you’re fed up. So are we.
Who’s “we?” Every hard-working person, every group, every minority religion with a public presence that bears the scars from media lies and canards.
Who else is “we?” Every beat reporter, columnist and scribe with a mission to unearth and spotlight the truth, who have found their reputations sullied by those whose idea of journalistic integrity is whatever produces the cackle, the titter and the sneer, along with a few pieces of silver.
The Prince and Ms. Markle are by no means the first celebrity couple to complain publicly about libelous treatment in the press, but they may very well be the first to cut off relations with major media outlets in a show of defiance that could have a ripple effect up into the boardrooms of the tabloids themselves.
Three cheers and a tip of the hat to the brave couple.
