Poisonous press?

The photographers flocked around Prince Harry as he arrived unexpectedly at the High CourtIn England and Wales, a court that deals with particularly important cases, or those that involve large sums of money. in London. "Morning, hi guys," he said with a smile. But no one believed for a moment that he was in a friendly mood. He had come to take revenge.

Harry is one of a group of famous people suing the Daily Mail's owners. It includes the singer Sir Elton John and the actresses Sadie Frost and Liz Hurley. They accuse Associated Newspapers of invading their privacy by illegally listening in on phone calls, obtaining medical records and hiring private detectives to break into their houses.

The newspaper company denies all of this. At the end of the four-day hearing, a judge will decide whether there is enough evidence for the case to go forward.

Prince Harry says that his teenage years were marred by "suspicion and paranoiaThe belief, often with no solid basis, that you are being harassed, betrayed or persecuted by others. " because he could not understand how the press were getting hold of details of his private life. He assumed that someone close to him was talking to them behind his back.

According to the group's barrister, David Sherborne,¹ "friends were lost or cut off as a result and everyone became a 'suspect'".

Another plaintiffA person who brings a case against another in court. is Doreen Lawrence, whose son Stephen was murdered in 1993. The Mail launched a campaign for justice, and in 1997 published photographs of five men it accused of killing him with the words "If we are wrong, let them sue us." None of them did, and two were later convicted of his murder.

But at the same time, according to David Sherborne, the Mail obtained illegal access to Baroness Lawrence's bank accounts to see whether she was receiving money from other newspapers: "The Daily Mail's outward support for her fight to bring Stephen's killers to justice was hollow and, worse, entirely false."

Prince Harry is known to hate the tabloids because he holds them responsible for his mother's death. Princess Diana was killed in a road accident when her car was chased through Paris by photographers.

Two years ago his wife Meghan Markle won a law suit against the Mail on Sunday for illegally publishing extracts from a letter she wrote to her father.

The couple have, however, been accused of hypocrisy. If they value their privacy so much, people ask, why have they accepted money for a Netflix series about their lives?

Yes: Tabloids will do anything to increase circulation. According to their accusers, they use deceit to obtain stories and sometimes just make them up. They hound celebrities and are thoroughly biased in their political reporting.

No: Without their determined reporting, public figures would get away with all sorts of wrongdoing. They make news accessible to everyone at an affordable price and also provide excellent entertainment.

Or... The Stephen LawrenceA young Black British man who was murdered in a racially motivated attack in London in 1993. case epitomisesPerfect examples of. their upside and downside. The Daily Mail did great work in helping to bring his killers to justice, but its alleged treatment of his mother was shameful.