He told Oprah Winfrey that the UK tabloid media is bigoted and creates a toxic environment of control and fear.

He said he thought the Prince of Wales had been forced to make peace with it.

Last night's interview on ITV, by the way, was watched by more than 11 million people here in the UK Let's talk now to Iain Murray, the executive director of the Society of Editors, an organization which is set up to fight to protect press freedoms.

Hello to you, Mr Murray.

Good morning.

Are some British tabloid newspapers bigoted?

No, no, they're not.

And what we're seeing here is the tragic story of the family.

That war as we know and your heart goes out to the Duchess in particular, talking about mental health problems that's there.

But the accusation that Harry and they're gonna say that they left Britain in part because of racism towards them, the accusation that this was caused by sections of the British media who are racist I'm afraid, is just not true.

And it's not borne out by the evidence of the coverage.

Some Evidence Mr Murray Daily Star ran a headline asking whether Harry would be marrying into gangster royalty.

The mail on mail online had a headline, which declared, Megan was almost straight outta Compton.

Well, I mean content.

I'm not completely with areas of their baby in California.

Gangster stereotype, black gangster stereotype.

Mr.

Murray, do you think those two headlines are racist?

Or even if you're not going to let me even answer?

You asked the question.

The questions were raised there basically saying, Look, here is a I hate to use the same rags to riches story, and it was it was the same with anyone that comes in from outside into the royal family, heart loyal or inability, uh, that they've raised up in that way.

But I think you've got to look at this whole thing in the context.

Is this saying that that the coverage that have been given to Megan in particular but to the Duchess, Duke and Duchess of Suspects than any perceived negative coverage that has come about and this is this follows a huge groundswell of positive coverage became when Megan was first started dating and then engaged and then married, Married to Prince Harry.

Amazing amount of positive coverage, which reflected the war the British people towards towards towards this couple.

And then there were some negative coverage that came in when the couple began to set out their stall.

I'm not gonna use the word preach and talk about things close to their heart, the environment, etcetera and questions being asked.

Are they living up to?

Are they living up to the ideals that they are putting forward to say that that negative, uh, sorry.

That's a that is racist and particularly targeted because Meghan is a woman of color.

I'm afraid that's not borne out by the truth.

You just have to look at the way the world family has been covered, covered for decades.

It's not as though the world family has been given an easy ride by the British in they and others to account, and you cannot say that the coverage of the investigations into Edward and so Harry and Megan were just talking about the coverage of themselves.

Can I ask you about those headlines again?

The star asked whether Harry would be marrying into gangster royalty mail.

Send one headline.

Sorry, Mr Murray.

You just told you could tell me.

Excuse me, please.

May I speak coverage, please?

May I ask the question?

Huge amount of coverage, Mr.

Murray, you can continue talking over me, but I'm onto examples and say, Look, here's something that someone might point to say.

So therefore that means No, you told me.

You told me my first, Mr Murray.

You told me the British tabloid press was not bigoted.

I've just given you some examples.

You're denying that those examples are racist.

And I'm asking, why are you denying that?

Well, I'm making plenty, Victoria, that what we're saying?

And I'm not defending individual things here and there.

I'm looking at the whole thing.

When you say that someone might make one comment that I'm not saying whether those were bigoted or racist at all.

Let me as a society and get the chance to actually finish Victoria when you actually label someone as bigoted.

Because one example that is disputed.

And actually, I'm not taking the whole thing in the context and saying, Look at the way that they have covered it.

I'm afraid that if you keep on looking, you will find that needle in the haystack.

But you just told me that the British press isn't racist.

And now you're saying if you keep on looking, you will find a racist needle in the haystack.

So let me ask you again, Are those headlines racist?

Simply not going?

I'm not gonna stand to defend and say whether they are not why.

Context is a society of sorry, Victoria.

You know full well, because you origin is you've got to see the context.

Let me give you some context, then please things.

And I'm not saying all right, let me give you some context Then the headline which suggested that Meghan was almost straight out of Compton underneath says Prince Harry's new girl suit star Meghan Markle is from Crenshaw.

La.

Crenshaw has endured 47 crimes in the past week, including murder.

Gangs, including the Bloods, count the neighborhood as their territory.

Mark als social worker Mom Dora Ragland lives in the rundown area.

And the actresses aunt is in a nearby gang afflicted Inglewood.

Is that racist?

Is that are they racist?

I'm saying I can't see the news racist.

It's straightforward rags to riches story about saying factually.

If it is factually correct, factually correct that it is, that's that's the background to make a mark like I don't know whether it's factually correct or not.

In 2016, a report by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance found that hate speech amongst traditional media, particularly tabloid newspapers in this country, continues to be a problem.

Do you not see that at all?

Do I not see what is or do I not see that?

Do I agree with their findings that I have not read that reporter recently?

I'm not going to say that I completely agree with that.

With their findings, I need to look further into it, but it's what they're actually basing this on.

Do you think there's a difference between someone like yourself, a white man, society of editors contemplating racism on an intellectual level and black people experiencing it on a daily basis?

I would say that I'm not bringing my race or background into this.

I would say that if I'm asked whether the sexual last sections of the British media, the tabloid press, are racist and say no, they are not.

And some extremely decent journalists, any of which you probably know who work on the papers being pointed out, be horrified, shocked and disappointed to have that leveled against the A report by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism in 2016 found that just 6% of journalists across UK newsrooms don't identify as white.

That's the problem, isn't it?

That is the problem.

There's a problem throughout the whole of the industry, And do you think that could lead to potentially racist coverage?

You're going for cause cause and effect.

The industry realizes and recognizes that has a challenge, and it's taking steps.

And the society of editors has been working on that and has been supporting and as an initiative that is working with others on that matter.

No one is pretending that that is not good enough.

Do you think the lack of diversity in newsrooms might contribute to racist coverage on occasion?

I know you're trying to trap me into saying something.

I'm really not a very I'm not.

I'm not, because if I say that it's a case of our therefore we're admitting that there is there is that that we do know about admitting it's about facing up to issues that we've got in the mainstream media in this country.

What issues that we don't have a greater diversity with the newsrooms?

Absolutely.

And that it could potentially lead to racist coverage on occasion.

I'm not gonna go so far as to say that because you're trying not words into my mouth without not everyone would wish that the media in this country better reflects the diverse country that we are becoming.

Okay, I'd like to give you some more headlines and tell me what you think is going on here.

This is from the Daily Mail, Kate.

Not long to go.

Now pregnant, Kate tenderly cradles her baby bump while wrapping up her royal duties ahead of maternity leave again from the Daily Mail.

Why can't Meghan Markle keep her hands off her baby bump?

Is it price, vanity acting or a New age bonding technique?

This from The Daily Express, Kate's Morning sickness Cure Prince William, gifted with an avocado for pregnant duchess again from The Daily Express.

Meghan Markle is beloved avocado linked to human rights abuses and drought, and one more again from The Daily Mail.

Carol wins Granny War Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will spend second private Christmas with the Middleton family rather than joining the queen at Sandringham in The Daily Mail.

Doesn't the Queen deserve better than this baffling, festive absence?

Richard K.

Examines the impact of Harry and Megan's decision not to spend Christmas with the royal family.

What's going on there?

Do you think that's going on there reporting as individual stories?

And I can't comment and take them out of context there, but I don't see anything.

What we're discussing here is whether there is racism in the coverage, and I see no evidence of racism in those coverage coverage.

It's unfair.

It's beautiful on the spot with bringing up headlines out of context.

I don't know what the stories are.

I'm sorry.

You're the society, your society of editors, you represent your members.

That's why I thought you were coming on to talk to us today.

What if not insidious racism?

Are those headlines about one talking about a white woman, one talking about a woman of many red You're conflating those two issues and they were afraid that that's that's not the case at all.

These are straightforward coverage of news items.

Some people say they aren't really use items talking about avocados, but they are talking about items.

There is no racism.

Could you be in complete denial?

I think I've been in the industry long enough to know that I would not feel comfortable sitting here if I believed there was racism systemic throughout sections of the industry.

It's simply not the case.

Why do you think the White Duchess is written about in a positive way?

But the woman of mixed heritage is written about in a negative way.

I think that Kate's not always received a positive coverage.

I don't think that's the case, and I think it's quite a simple cases.

I tried to explain to the beginning, but it doesn't matter who it is.

If someone in the royal family or anyone in the public eye or push themselves forward to Actually Expo proposes to live certain lifestyles and then doesn't live up to those ideals, uh, then they are going to find that they've got negative pressed.

Thank you very much for talking to us this morning.

Thank you.

Thank you.