The Media Reaction to the loss of The Queen
In my most recent blog post I shared my thoughts and advice about how to navigate your social media and PR outreach over the coming days and weeks following the loss of The Queen.
I also shared my predictions for the type of content the media and journalists would be writing and sharing over coming days as well as some realtime examples of media alerts and requests that I was seeing coming through from journalists at the end of last week. I thought it might be helpful to look at how some of the predictions are starting to manifest as the media world defaults to a tried and tested model of reacting to change and news like this.
News
PREDICTION: News media will be covering this, and the developments over the coming days, heavily. Don’t be surprised if any interviews or stories you were working with journalists on get pushed back or shelved.
RESULTS: EVERYWHERE!
Fashion, Style & Lifestyle
PREDICTION: Fashion, Style & Lifestyle journalists and media will be covering the story in their own way from looking back at the Queen’s life in Style to the influence she had on the younger generations of royals to her connections with designers, fashion houses and stories of her personal wardrobe.
RESULTS:
This media alert became this story 👇
The Queen's hair was an iconic global silhouette - so what was the story behind it?
The Queen’s most spectacular jewellery – from tiaras and brooches to the Crown Jewels
What the Queen Means to Designers
Her Majesty’s vibrant wardrobe choices always reflected her inimitable, optimistic reign
Politically
PREDICTION: Politically, yes we have a new Prime Minister and of course the cost of living crisis will still be a huge presence, but there will be talk of the role that The Queen played in our modern political history. Her connections with the 15 Prime Ministers she saw pass through Parliament, what she really thought of them, how she worked as a force for peace and was fiercely passionate about the Union of the United Kingdom. There will be discussion about the Commonwealth, her role in it and its future under the new monarch King Charles III. The colonial undertones of the Commonwealth will also be a conversation - exploring how The Queen worked tirelessly to reform and give a progressive outlook to the Commonwealth.
RESULTS:
Collapse, stagger or thrive? The Commonwealth searches for a role after Queen Elizabeth II’s death
Queen Elizabeth's death revives criticism of Britain's legacy of colonialism
The Queen and her ‘beloved’ Commonwealth: A look at the legacy she’s left
History & The Future
PREDICTION: The history of The Queen and the monarchy will be a topic to be explored over the coming days and weeks as well as the future of the monarchy and what we can expect from the reign of King Charles III
RESULTS:
Britain's royal history: More than 1,000 years of family drama
What is the future of the monarchy?
The Future of the British Monarchy Is More Uncertain Than Ever
Human Interest
PREDICTION: Human Interest stories across the lifestyle media will be geared around journalists asking for case studies and stories from those that met The Queen, have some sort of anecdotes, were born on the same day, have been particularly moved by these events and more.
RESULTS:
‘She came to say hello to me’: People share their memories of meeting the Queen
Gran born on Queen's Coronation day who is named after the monarch
Collective Grief & Dealing with loss
PREDICTION: There will also be a lot of content around how we collectively deal with issues that rise from this loss. There will be call for people to talk about their experience of grief, for grief counsellors and therapists to share advice in these circumstances.
RESULTS:
Collective grief: what you need to know + how to deal with it
How to deal with a personal loss while everyone’s mourning the Queen
The media reaction shows us a number of things;
That the media can be incredibly predictable. In any given season and in response to any given news item, the media response can be pretty ‘by numbers’
The type of content pockets and opportunities that can turn up in the response to news of the day
The breadth of content that can be created around one singular person or news story and the breadth of media titles that will cover the story in some way
I hope this is helpful. If you have any questions around navigating the current climate with your own comms or on how the media works in relation to any of the above. Just pop me an email; bossyourpr@gmail.com