11/01/2020
The internet is awash with comment, mostly it would seem negative in nature, regarding the announcement made by Prince Harry and his wife Meghan that they planed to adopt a new approach to their lives.
The media is chomping at the bit to cause more hate and pain, and to stir up even more hatred. One of the worst culprits is the narcissistic ex-Editor of the Daily Mirror, Piers Morgan. Morgan was in charge during the infamous phone-hacking scandal and was sacked for allowing fake photographs purporting to show Iraqi prisoners being abused by British Army soldiers from the Queen's Lancashire Regiment to be published in the paper.
In his time presenting on ITV's Good Morning Britain, he has repeatedly acted in an aggressive manner when 'interviewing' guests; frequently expressing ugly and nauseating views, whilst supporting those who had extreme political views.
His Twitter account is often used to share hateful messages, many of them targeted at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex:
There have been so many lies printed about the couple, and stories that have been deliberately skewed to present a false and malicious image of the couple.
The pain caused has been clear to see.
It can be no surprise that the constant criticism aimed at the couple has taken its toll. Prince Harry has spoken in the past about the impact his mother's death had on him. Princess Diana had complained about the harassment of the UK press and her death happened when she was chased by paparazzi in Paris.
The fact that Harry and Meghan have also been subjected to such harassment is disgraceful. There is no compassion shown by the nauseating journalists who have joined the campaign against the young Royals.
Do these people deserve to be recognised as journalists? They certainly don't deserve to be able claim press freedoms when they are used to spread misinformation and encourage hate.
Press regulation needs to be reviewed and strengthened.
It is all well and good saying we need the press to be free of interference from government, but it is not 'good' to simply give that power to media barons who abuse their position for their own greedy positions.
I have commented previously about the need for a seismic change in the way our newspapers are allowed to run. In reality, we don't really have publications that focus on delivering the news in an honest manner. Most articles in the newspapers in the UK are heavily influenced by opinion; and this is not clearly articulated to the readership.
Opinions can obviously be shared; indeed that is what I do though this medium. However, I don't pretend to be sharing the news. I am very clear about the fact that my posts are opinion based.
I believe that the newspapers should be very tightly regulated and should be required to deliver the news in an honest manner that is not swayed by the agenda of the publication's owners or editors.
Opinions may feature in content that is clearly shown to be opinion, rather than fact. When a news article has been presented properly, without being skewed by bias, it may be acceptable to add an 'opinion box' that clearly separates fact from opinion and allows the reader to recognise the difference.
A new regulator should be introduced for all news outlets.
The regulator must be independent of government and needs to have teeth. They need to be able to enforce discipline; to require corrections that are more prominent than, or at least as prominent as, the article or headline that was deemed to than have breached the code set down in any new regulations. All news outlets should be required to have a compliance department that is sufficient for the scale and nature of the individual organisation. The owner, editor and individual with overall responsibility for compliance should be held responsible for ensuring the honesty and integrity of all content.
The publications that deliver the news to the British public have shown repeatedly that they cannot be trusted to provide their service with honesty and integrity. They are clearly incapable of self regulation.
It is therefore time for change.
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