Reckoning for UK media?
Some journalists hope fallout from interview with Harry and Meghan leads to change
LONDON — Britain’s royal family is smarting from its depiction in Meghan and Harry’s explosive TV interview as aloof, uncaring and tinged with racism. But the couple identified an even bigger villain: the British media, which they accused of racist bullying and personal attacks.
Many in the media argue that although some tabloids occasionally go too far, journalists play a vital role holding Britain’s taxpayer-funded royal family to account. But some British journalists, especially those from minority backgrounds, hope the interview will trigger a long-overdue reckoning with media misbehavior and lack of diversity.
Marcus Ryder, professor of media diversity at Birmingham City University, said it was too glib to speak of “watershed moments.”
“But I would suggest that this is a moment which will help shape the industry,” he said.
In the couple’s interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan accused British tabloids of “attacking and inciting so much racism” against her. Harry depicted a toxic relationship between monarchy and media, saying the royal family was “scared” of the tabloid press.
The allegations stirred a passionate response that has toppled two senior British media figures.
Talk show host Piers Morgan, a familiar TV face on both sides of the Atlantic, quit “Good Morning Britain” Tuesday amid an outcry over his comments about Meghan, particularly her description of mental health struggles and suicidal thoughts. Morgan told viewers Monday that “I don’t believe a word she says.”
The furor has also claimed the job of Ian Murray, executive director of the Society of Editors. The new media umbrella group released a strongly worded defense of the press after Harry and Meghan’s interview, saying “the U.K. media is not bigoted and will not be swayed from its vital role holding the rich and powerful to account.”
Top editors of The Guardian, the Financial Times and HuffPost UK took issue with the statement, while 160 reporters and editors signed a letter saying the Society of Editors was “in denial” about racism.
On Wednesday, Murray stepped down, acknowledging his statement “could have been much clearer in its condemnation of bigotry.”
Britain’s media, diverse in political and social views, isn’t representative of the population in race, gender or class. Nonwhite Britons and women are underrepresented, while graduates of private schools hold a disproportionate share of the jobs.
Journalists working to change the situation say it is not easy.
Marverine Duffy, a former news anchor who directs the journalism program at Birmingham City University, says “improving the numbers of ethnically and socially diverse qualified journalists into newsrooms is paramount,” but is not enough.
“Systems need to be put in place to shake up groupthink, anti-Blackness and the unwillingness to see racism and xenophobia for what it actually is, instead of turning a blind eye,” she said.
Others point out that Harry and Meghan are deft media manipulators themselves.
Ed Owens, a historian who has studied the relationship between the media and royalty, said the couple are “utilizing the new channels of media — things like social media, the Oprah interview — to try and reach out and connect with new audiences.”