Meghan Markle makes headlines after her revelations against royalty and the British press 1:47
London (CNN) -
The Duchess of Sussex took a hit this week as the UK media watchdog concluded that the broadcast code had not been breached 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 their father, and a lawsuit over "intrusive" paparazzi photographs taken of their son Archie in California.
In this case, Meghan felt strong enough to file a formal complaint with ITV.
CNN learned then that his complaint was not because of the personal nature of the on-air tirade, but rather because of his concern that Morgan's comments about the suicide could undermine the seriousness of the mental health problems.
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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 ".
Piers Morgan speaks to reporters outside his home in Kensington, central London, the morning after ITV announced his departure as host of "Good Morning Britain."
(Credit: Jonathan Brady / PA Images via Getty Images)
The British charity Mind, which rejected Morgan's initial comments, insisted on this point in a statement about its reaction to this decision.
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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. "
Piers Morgan leaves TV set after talking about Meghan 1:14
In the hours after the decision was released, an insulting nickname Morgan began using for the Duchess became a trend on Twitter in the UK.
Some called for Meghan to apologize and praised the watchdog's decision as a freedom of expression victory, while others called it "whitewashing" and said its conclusion condemned anyone who claimed to want to commit suicide as a liar and perpetuated 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.
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It is not the first time that Harry has expressed concern about misinformation.
In March, she joined the Aspen Institute's fight against this issue and has long maintained a tense relationship with the media, which she blames for 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 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.
Meghan and Harry with Oprah: CBS shows new revelations 1:47
Nowadays, they are choosing more often to run their own ads directly on the website of their non-profit organization Archewell and to 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.
Meghan Markle reveals she "didn't want to be alive anymore" in explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey
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 amid polarized love or hate towards public figures, the fundamental point can be lost.
Speaking to 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.
Meghan Markle Prince Harry
