The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have sought to represent their values through their media strategy by issuing a letter to four newspaper groups stating that there will be ‘zero engagement’ with their outlets in the future.
The letter, which you can read in full at the foot of this BBC article, also states that the rule will also apply to their communications team, indicating that no renegotiation of the situation is likely to occur behind the scenes.
This may come as a surprise to some, seeming to be a severe measure when diplomatic engagement has usually been the accepted method for public figures privately offended by the publication of salacious rumour and gossip, but media boycotts are not without precedence or merit.
Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson famously refused to engage with the BBC following the 2004 airing of a documentary which he assessed to have been offensive towards his son Jason. The boycott ended seven years later only after a private meeting between then BBC DG Mark Thompson and Ferguson at Old Trafford. Whilst the boycott clearly wasn’t ideal for the BBC or for fans wanting to hear from the manager, it didn’t do Ferguson’s profile any long term harm. Indeed, it bolstered his reputation as an uncompromising and canny operator. That was the biggest of Ferguson’s numerous media boycotts, which are rounded up in this Guardian article.
Harry and Meghan will have weighed up the options and decided that, on balance, the ensuing negative stories from the titles which received the letter will be worth the potential value of publication of a letter which clearly states their policy of ‘working with journalists and media organisations all over the world, engaging with grassroots media, regional and local media, and young, up-and-coming journalists, to spotlight issues and causes that so desperately need acknowledging.’ By sending the letter, they know that the media will be free to interpret it with a negative commentary for their audiences, but they are also hoping that the public will have the opportunity to read it dispassionately and make up their own minds about its content.
Rather than seeing the tabloid media as a necessary evil, Harry and Meghan have decided that it is an unnecessary evil and that their own media strategy should be a proactive tool for good, in step with their broader charitable aims and campaigning values. This isn’t an approach which would work for everyone, but it is an approach which demonstrates the Sussexes’ integrity and astuteness, and the benefits of implementing a proactive and values-based communications strategy.