Britain’s period of national mourning following the death of Queen Elizabeth underlined the reverence with which many in the UK regard the royal family. Intense and mainly loyal coverage by broadcasters and newspapers took pains to remind us that some of history’s most deplorable regimes were republics and that monarchs may be more tolerant – the British royals being particularly benign.
In a private capacity, I am proud of my country’s representative democracy and dutiful, apolitical monarchy. But media barons and editors do not have this luxury and must not allow reverence for the sovereign to silence questions. A journalist’s duty is to hold power to account – and reporters must avoid deference.
