On Tuesday, NBC’s Today show finally began taking the subject of media bias seriously – at least when it comes to British tabloid coverage of their favorite royal couple, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Lacking the slightest amount of self-awareness, hosts complained that the royals “weren’t covered fairly in the press” and subjected to a negative media “narrative” in the U.K.
Following a full report speculating on how Harry and Meghan could become “financially independent” as they seek to distance themselves from the royal family, co-host Hoda Kotb fretted: “...one thing this couple is always pointing to is they always say their coverage was not fair, like they weren’t covered fairly in the press and in the tabloids.”
Correspondent Keir Simmons eagerly cited media analysis of the frivolous issue:
Yeah, look, I mean BuzzFeed picked out some headlines to try and make the point. And actually, they do make a pretty good point. Just take a look at some of these headlines. So for Kate, one headline, “Why you can always say it with flowers; A floral code popular in Victorian times is making a comeback thanks to our royal newlyweds.” A similar headline for Megan, “How Meghan Markel’s flowers may have put Princess Charlotte’s life at risk.”
Co-host Savannah Guthrie couldn’t believe such a double standard in news coverage: “That’s what’s striking about all the examples in the BuzzFeed article is that they’re actually comparing very similar episodes and then you see this stark difference in coverage.”
Simmons agreed and was aghast that the British press would push a biased “narrative” against the royal couple: “And that’s why people say that the tabloid, the British tabloids have got a narrative, it’s anti-Meghan, and they just take every story and try and make it fit with that narrative. That’s the criticism of the coverage.”
If only those complaints could apply to a more substantive topic, like political coverage in the American media.
The fact that these journalists cannot hear themselves when they warn viewers about agenda-driven reporting is astonishing.
Here is a transcript of the January 14 exchange:
8:17 AM ET
(...)
HODA KOTB: And, Keir, one thing this couple is always pointing to is they always say their coverage was not fair, like they weren’t covered fairly in the press and in the tabloids. What did you find?
KEIR SIMMONS: Yeah, look, I mean BuzzFeed picked out some headlines to try and make the point. And actually, they do make a pretty good point. Just take a look at some of these headlines. So for Kate, one headline, “Why you can always say it with flowers; A floral code popular in Victorian times is making a comeback thanks to our royal newlyweds.” A similar headline for Megan, “How Meghan Markel’s flowers may have put Princess Charlotte’s life at risk.”
Just give you another example: “Pregnant Kate tenderly cradles her baby bump.” Meghan, “Why can’t Meghan Markle keep her hands off her bump?”
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: That’s what’s striking about all the examples in the BuzzFeed article is that they’re actually comparing very similar episodes and then you see this stark difference in coverage.
SIMMONS: And that’s why people say that the tabloid, the British tabloids have got a narrative, it’s anti-Meghan, and they just take every story and try and make it fit with that narrative. That’s the criticism of the coverage.
GUTHRIE: Yeah.
(...)
