Queen Elizabeth praised traditional media and sent a message of support for the British press in her letter to the News Media Association. The monarch issued the statement as the group launched its Journalism Matters campaign.
The Queen said that traditional media is important to the country, especially in the time of COVID-19. The monarch said that reliable news from various trusted outlets has helped communities in their fundraising efforts and volunteering programs, or by "providing a lifeline for the elderly and vulnerable."
The new campaign seeks to gather public and government support as traditional media competes with digital media and other communication tools. Spearheaded by Henry Faure Walker, Journalism Matters aims to boost the vital contribution of the press amid the presence of Google, Facebook and similar platforms that have been raking advertising income for their operations.
According to The Guardian, traditional newspaper groups have had financial struggles even before the pandemic. The health crisis worsened their situation since the advertising market also collapsed. Job losses among journalists are increasing and publishers who are trying to sell their company are struggling to find buyers.
Meanwhile, three members of the News Media Association are currently embroiled in a legal battle with Queen Elizabeth's grandchildren, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. News UK, Reach and Mail on Sunday have pending court cases with the Sussexes, who claimed that their newspapers breached the couple's privacy.
Royal biographer Robert Lacey said in his book Battle of Brothers that Harry and Meghan did not discuss their plans to file lawsuits against the British press with Queen Elizabeth. Lacey said that Harry ceased to consult with his family one year after his marriage to Meghan.
Legal eagles claim that the actions Harry and Meghan have taken against media outlets could backfire. Some experts think that the Sussexes are fighting a war they cannot win as their lawsuits will only make the tabloids more persistent.
But, sources around the Sussexes said they will continue to fight the unfair reports. Prince Harry wants to protect his wife from the negative stories about her. The sources said that the couple wants to ensure that the media does not report lies.
Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth did sue the media for breach of copyright decades ago. According to BBC, the tabloids and the monarch had a bad relationship in the 1980s and early 1990s.
The Queen sued The Sun in 1988 for publishing stolen photos of Princess Beatrice and Sarah Ferguson, which were supposed to be used for the family Christmas card. In 1993, the Queen sued a news outlet for leaking the text to Her Majesty's Christmas message.
In 2003, Queen Elizabeth also received an injunction against the Daily Mirror when one of its reporters pretended to be a servant at Buckingham Palace. Ryan Parry had access to the royal family and then wrote about his stories, which the British courts agreed was a privacy breach.
