As the United Kingdom continues to implode following the revelation that members of its hereditary monarchy may have outmoded views on race, a group of journalists of color have written an open letter begging the country's media to stop pretending racism had no part in coverage of Meghan Markle and the on-going freakout.
Following the Oprah interview with Markle and husband Prince Harry Windsor, people who get paid to talk on TV about how racism isn't real have cried foul, highlighted by American conservatives swearing fealty to the Crown and Piers Morgan storming off the set of "Good Morning Britain" after a co-worker disagreed with him that Markle was a vicious liar intent on ending the monarchy. Morgan, who appears to still be miffed about an alleged personal slight from years ago, has since doubled down on his Markle thoughts after officially quitting the TV show.
© BEN STANSALLAn arrangement of UK daily newspapers photographed as an illustration in Brenchley, Kent on March 9, 2021, shows front page headlines reporting on the story of the interview given by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, wife of Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, to Oprah Winfrey, which aired on UK broadcaster ITV.
An arrangement of UK daily newspapers photographed as an illustration in Brenchley, Kent on March 9, 2021, shows front page headlines reporting on the story of the interview given by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, wife of Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, to Oprah Winfrey, which aired on UK broadcaster ITV. (BEN STANSALL/)
Despite all evidence to the contrary continuing to pour in, Ian Murray, executive director of the Society of Editors, said earlier this week that no sections of the UK media was bigoted or racist.
A coalition of journalists of color (only about 6% of journalists in the UK identify as not white) wrote an open letter to Murray that said it would be a lot more productive to address underlying issues of racism (which explain how coverage of Markle was shaped) than to pretend they do not exist.
"We, the undersigned journalists of color, working in UK media organizations, deplore and reject the statement issued by the Society of Editors, denying the existence of racism and bigotry in the UK press," the journalists wrote.
"The blanket refusal to accept there is any bigotry in the British press is laughable, does a disservice to journalists of color and shows an institution and an industry in denial," they added.
"The Society of Editors should have used the comments by the Sussexes to start an open and constructive discussion about the best way to prevent racist coverage in future, including through addressing lack of representation in the UK media, particularly at a senior level," the letter reads.
"At a time when many industries and companies are engaged in a reckoning with race in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests, we believe it would be a better use of the Society of Editors' time to reflect on the lack of diversity," it added
The letter also cited a number of examples, including a list of eyebrow-arching headlines about Markle.
The Society of Editors quickly backtracked, saying the organization "would reflect on the reaction our statement prompted and work towards being part of the solution."