Prince Harry and Meghan's interview could further damage British media reputation

The United Kingdom media is facing backlash after the interview of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's interview with Oprah Winfrey. In the interview, the couple had claimed racism within the Royal Family and the British press. After the interview, British TV host Piers Morgan exited a popular show Good Morning Britain over his comments for Meghan. Ian Murray, the executive director of the Society of Editors had also resigned over racism claims. 

British media faces backlash

Now, the leading newspaper editors and journalists have warned that the Society of Editors will lose its credibility if it does not make fundamental changes and does not issue an apology for an initial refusal to recognise racism in British journalism. Ian Murray last week had said that the claims made by Harry and Meghan about the press were "not acceptable" and are made without "supporting evidence", insisting that the UK media "has a proud record of calling out racism". Murray's statement was criticised by British journalists.

Earlier on Wednesday, before Murray revealed that he would step down, the directors of the society had issued a statement, saying that Murray’s response to Harry and Meghan's explosive interview, headlined "UK media not bigoted". Eleanor Mills, a board member of the society and former Sunday Times editorial director said, "What we decide to do now is important: it could be a real watershed moment for the press". 

The Guardian cited Brian Cathcart, professor of journalism at Kingston University as saying that it is a big test for journalists and the organisations they are working for. Cathcart pointed out the Society of Editors produced a report on diversity in 2004 which described it as a “matter of urgency” that would be “addressed at the highest levels”. The board members including Mills, the former BBC news chief Kamal Ahmed, and Vic Motune, editor of the Voice on Saturday demanded change so that a new draft statement proposing major changes could be approved. 

Mills, who last week launched Noon a platform designed to empower women in midlife, was originally invited to join the board of the society to improve its representation of women. She chairs the industry campaign group Women in Journalism which released a report last summer exposing the dearth of black journalism and commentators in British newspapers. She had said women in journalism wanted to do this piece of work and newspapers are lagging behind. The Guardian cited Mills as saying that she was close to resigning from the Society of Editors’ board last week. She said that if there is no stronger apology issued over Ian Murray comments, she will resign and she suspected that she might not be the only one. She said, 

“If there is no stronger move to issue an apology and admission that what Ian Murray said was wrong over the next few days I will resign and I suspect I will not be the only one.” 

(Image credit: The Associated Press)