Højelsen, Genevieve S-M V L T N S K

Lenartova, Tatiana

Varda, Sara Frost

This project investigates the media coverage of Princess Diana and Meghan Markle within The Daily Mail and their tabloid practices. To fully observe the portrayal of both women through an ethical lens and followingly analyse the discourses surrounding them, the problem formulation is thus; ‘What are the ethical implications of the way British tabloids have covered royal celebrities from Princess Diana to Meghan Markle?’ The project includes two theories namely a critical approach and media ethics. The former elaborates on injustice, power structures, and other aspects of society, whereas the latter focuses on the key principles of responsible media behaviour. These aspects cover a broad spectrum that is applicable to the media industry and its practices. Moreover, the project makes use of Critical Discourse Analysis and Comparative Analysis to support the theories, and by extension, also help uncover both the discourses surrounding the women, as well as their similarities and differences regarding media treatment despite the forty-year time span between them. In order to effectively narrow down our data, content analysis was chosen as it maintains a certain level of objectivity, and thus, it serves as an analytical function to present the qualitative content. The analysis is, therefore, structured into categorised data based on the main subjects, in this case, the portrayals of Princess Diana and Meghan Markle. That includes the following themes; criticism, privacy concerns, racism, sexualisation, and public statements. In the discussion, the findings suggest a continual and potentially rising problem with the way tabloids cover royal celebrities. Firstly, our findings can conclude that there is no change in the coverage of either Meghan Markle or Princess Diana despite the different media eras. Additionally, when looking at the portrayals of both women with an ethical and critical approach, it was discovered that both women are subject to stereotypes, bullying and are both framed negatively using language and images to undermine them as a public figure. Regarding media ethics, the findings also suggest a concern about the practices that these tabloids utilise, such as producing and reproducing narratives and discourses that serve their own benefits and interests. In conclusion, we believe that there should be more focus and attention on these issues as there is a forty-year time period, in which no fundamental changes to ethical values have been discovered. Thereby, the importance of evoking global change and spreading awareness about these ethical concerns could play an important role in protecting human rights, preventing further harassment, and reconstructing the industry.<br/

A Look at the Media Coverage of Princess Diana and Meghan Markle

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Roskilde Universitet