The fallout from Amol Rajan’s BBC documentary has shone a light on the least edifying beat in British journalism
A truly vintage week for hypocrisy in an industry I simply cannot take seriously: the newspaper industry. My industry. As longtime observers of so-called Fleet Street will be aware, living down to expectations is a constant burden. But it is a tribute to the business that said burden is shouldered daily by any number of lavishly shameless individuals, across all titles, without exception.
This past week’s standout has been the full-spectrum warfare unleashed by the tabloids on the BBC’s Amol Rajan for having the temerity to make a documentary about Princes William and Harry – who you will, of course, barely ever read about in the tabloids. On the very, very rare occasions that sacred D-notice is broken, you will only hear about the royal family in the most deferential, scrupulously fair and quintuply sourced terms. You know the sort of thing – “EXCLUSIVE: Diana thinks Kate is perfect but doesn’t believe Meghan’s ‘the one’: confidante reveals the princess still speaks to her from beyond the grave (and even told her to vote for Brexit).” Huge thanks to the tireless standards-upholders at MailOnline. And we’ll come back to the Mail very shortly.
Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnist
