There is a difference between journalism and simple reporting – Anyone with a brain will know this. Anyway, yesterday I did two posts on a tabloid website reporting that The Queen had died. What’s more, is that he stands by the reporting.
Okay, fine. Stand by your reporting, but UK-based sources who work closely with The Queen say she’s alive. Essentially since she had her weekly call with Boris Johnson. The dude who put out the original rumour piece on Hollywood Unlocked claims he has never gotten a scoop wrong. According to a Buzzfeed News article by Brianna Sacks and Ade Onibaba, the guy, Jason Lee (no, not the actor), admitted that his intel had not come from a palace source but a guest at the wedding of the British Vogue editor. Also, no wonder a lot of sites end up on FeedSpot.
Her Majesty does NOT attend celebrity weddings. Also, Lee was not present at the event. He is still maintaining that his sources were correct, despite public sources saying the Queen is not dead. His excuse is that she has not been seen in a while. Yes, that is true, but she is a 95-year-old lady who currently has COVID. She would not be out and about.
Not to mention, Instagram flagged the story as false information.
Lee has also called for Variety to pull their story on the situation. This is what I call damage control. Variety is what Hollywood Unlocked isn’t. Reliable. What’s more, is the call for Variety to pull their story about the hoax has been deleted. Before this whole drama started, I’d never heard of Hollywood Unlocked. I know a ton of people who hadn’t either.
Not On Hollywood Blog Lists And Just Because You Don’t See Someone Doesn’t Mean They’re Dead
I also checked the Feedspot Top 30 Hollywood blogs page, and Hollywood Unlocked is NOT on the list of the top 30, though our site is! Not to brag. Anyway, it’s not even on the Top 100 Gossip Sites list, also from FeedSpot.
This ultimately says a lot.
Anyway, I want to point out that if you don’t see someone for a while, it doesn’t mean they’re dead. Also, most Americans aren’t aware that there are protocols in place for when a royal family member dies. There was one for the late Queen Mother, and Prince Philip had one too as the Queen’s Consort. In time, Charles, Camilla, William, and Catherine will all have protocols put in place.
Now, we don’t see the Queen for months at a time. People have not kicked up a stink. However, since the Queen has COVID, it has become a worry. I’ve written briefly before about the last days of King George V and Queen Victoria, but I’ll do another post later on this to explain what goes on in the final days of a monarch.
Since the British royals joined the social media game, they’ve been seen more than before.
Journalism vs. Reporting
So, to end this post, I wanted to stress that journalism is more than just reporting the news and current events. It’s also fact-checking and talking to sources. There is a reason why people who follow individuals such as the Sussexes’ actions have the title Civilian Journalist in their social media profiles. They are not actual journalists but do their own research and put unverified information out.
However, anyone who reports on news and events is doing exactly that. Reporting. It doesn’t matter what the source is. It could be from a gossip magazine, website, or forum. Whatever the case is, the facts are generally not checked as accurate.
In conclusion, I am NOT knocking civilian journalists. They’re often more thorough than certified journalists. Also, there is a dark truth in reporting on the royals. Moreover, we knew the “Queen is Dead” story was fake because it would’ve been all over the mainstream media if it were. Also, the news of Her Majesty’s passing would not have been broken by an American tabloid.
Legitmate journalism works with actual sources, not tabloid media looking to make a quick buck.
