The lesson from this discussion must be that if you intend to
write a debate book on a royal family you should never introduce
yourself as an "impertinent" or "brazen" journalist ( as TV does on
her Danish website and in the Danish media) if you want to be
taken seriously!
You should never use anonymous sources! If they are unavoidable
for some reason, they should be reduced to an absolute minimum
for the sake of the overall credibilty.
Nor should you present speculations and gossip as facts.
If you claim to be a royalist and that your book is written in the
best interest of the monarchy, then you should avoid alliances
with professed republicans like the plague! Excuse me for
repeating myself: " 1015-København K" was published by the
publishing co. of the blatantly republican tabloid Ekstra-Bladet.
I cannot rid myself of the suspicion that TV is a republican
masquerading as a royalist!
If you want your book to be taken seriously, don't write in the
chatty, sensationalist style of a tabloid journalist, as is often the
case in "1015-K".
If you claim to be a royalist you should not put members of
the royal family in question in a bad light by exposing their
faults and flaws. It doesn't add up in the big picture; it
serves no purpose, unless of course you have a hidden agenda
and hope that the mud will eventually stick! I'm particularly referring
to TVs constant ridicule of CP Frederiks public speaking skills,
it has been heartless!
You (the author) should know the history of the monarchy as
well as the background of the RF traditions, customs and general
court procedures etc. For instance, if you criticize a
custom, you've got to know why it is there in the first place!
Ignorance on the part of the author detracts from the credibility.
As I have mentioned earlier, as a Danish royalist I don't mind a
debate on the Danish monarchy and its future role, and
how the DRF could revise their focus or optimize the royal
brand in new contexts and so forth. The Danish RF
has had so much tail wind for the past decades that there's
a risk of being lulled asleep. I for one think that the DRF is
resting too much on the laurels for their own good.
This is IMO, other Danish TRF members may perceive things differently.
Finally, I don't intend to be heartless to TV. There's the good old
golden rule that you should always treat others as you would like
to be treated yourself! However she is no innocent victim
as far as the debate about "1015-København K" is concerned.
Just for the record: When writing about various subjects on her
blog, TV often displays a decent amount of common sense, presented
in decent journalistic Danish.
"1015-K" didn't quite make it!
From me to you, Trine Villemann: Know your stuff, know your
target group, know your focus and never, ever underestimate
the reader! All the best!
End of ramblings
, good night!