I hate to say it but I do think part of the issue is that the difference between British and American ways of doing things. I know we always think we are so similar, share a common language etc but really we have very different ways of doing things and with different intent and attitudes behind them. None of this is to say the British way is better or the American way is wrong, nor is to say every one in the UK thinks this way or acts this way but in general while people think we are so similar we are not and that is why sometimes Meghan is criticised for doing the right things but in the wrong way if that makes sense. TBH to a degree Harry is more to blame as he has seemed to just allow Meghan to do things the way she wants, which is fine, but he hasn't appeared to explain why things have been done the way they have by the RF for so long and the way British people see things. The problem lies somewhere in the fact that the BRF has mastered the art of doing good without appearing to want to do good - the way the Queen, Camilla, Kate appear in the crowd almost as if they've just stopped by on their way out, not appearing to expect anyone to be there to meet them, waving at them etc. The way the Queen Mother visited the damage of the Blitz almost as if she'd popped round to her friends house for a cup of tea and oh look its been damaged. Of course in reality they all know they are the star attraction, they know they need to put on a bit of show (I mean as if a women in the East End of London would pop round to her friends in her furs and diamonds) but the point is its made to appear as if nothing is expected. I guess its why people always thing the British talk about the weather as if it rains all the time, we have a hard time selling ourselves and making ourselves look good and stand out in a way that comes more natural to Americans. Hence why it feels a little uncomfortable to us when a member of the RF is so open about wanting to change the world., its not a bad thing but its not an attitude that comes naturally to Brits to be so confident and think so big. Its not a flaw in Meghan at all, like any culture difference it can be hard to understand at times.
This is a very thoughtful, objective post. I agree, there are some cultural differences at play here. The British (in IMO) tend to be very understated. I can see that Meghan's vocal go-getter attitude might rub some people the wrong way.
Of course some of the media coverage has been uncomfortable, and indeed sometimes downright unpleasant but we must look at the media as a whole not just those with the loudest voices. Yes Piers Morgan has a vendetta against Meghan and at times it appears childish but is it any worse than all the US late show hosts who openly mock and dislike Trump?
IMO it is different. US late show hosts are comedians. It's understood they mock Trump &
exaggerate for
laughs. Piers Morgan, on the other hand, is downright mean-spirited.
But to come down on all the media seems extreme, I mean how many reporters, photographers are out there like Arthur Edwards, Nicholas Whitchell, Chris Ship etc who aren't breaking laws, being bitchy, finding every excuse to blame everything on Meghan and yet now feel tarred with the same brush as those few who have done the very worst. That simply isn't conducive to a fruitful working relationship.
The vast majority of the mainstream media seem to be treating Meghan and Harry in much the same way as they treat any new royal couple. Sadly there has perhaps been more to talk and gossip about but that is largely due to the nature of Meghan's relationship with her family and her celebrity friends. Again she is 1000% entitled to have those relationships in those ways but likewise it is not illegal for the media to talk about them.
I do not blame Meghan and Harry for this but at times they do seem not to have helped, announcing you are suing a British newspaper on the last day of an official taxpayer funded tour, the timing for no apparent legal reason, then people calling the media out for not reporting on their visits on that last day is just ridiculous. It was clear the media would report on the legal action, and it appeared almost as if they did it to show that the media wouldn't report on the work and issues of the last day to show how unfair they think the media are. It just seems a bit counter productive.
Another good point. I agree, Harry and Meghan should be careful and not lump serious journalists (who genuinely want to report on the royals) with the gossipy tabloid reporters who just want clicks. It's unfair to the journalists and won't win them over to the Sussex camp.
I also see another cultural difference that Meghan probably isn't used to: In the United States we don't have an aggressive (and sometimes mean-spirited) tabloid press dominating our media (but rest assured, we have our own media issues to contend with).
Yes we have tabloids but for the most part they limit themselves to celebrity gossip. Their circulation is limited and we turn to other sources for
serious news. In the United States,
USA Today and the
Wall Street Journal are the top two newspapers in terms of circulation. In Britain, on the other hand,
The Sun and the
Daily Mail (both tabloids) are at the top (I'm basing my information on Statista).
I also think the tabloids tend to get away with more. The U.S. news media are constantly calling one another out on articles containing (real or perceived) lies, misinformation, distortions, or even political slant. Graham Norton made the following statement in the
Guardian, comparing the
Telegraph's attitude to inaccurate articles versus U.S. newspapers [bold facing mine]:
"In America you couldn’t do that. The New York Times or The Washington Post,
if they get caught out there’s hell to pay. When I do an interview with an American newspaper, I get all these follow-up calls, asking, ‘Did you say this?’ and ‘Can you just verify the spelling of the surname of the person you mentioned?’ They’re really on it in the way that, no disrespect, we’re not on it here."
Again, I suspect Meghan isn't used to this aggressive tabloid culture. Combine that with Harry's already hostile view of the tabloid media and you end up with a lot of anger and resentment.