UK publisher demands ViacomCBS remove parts of Oprah’s royal couple interview

The publisher of the Daily Mail is asking ViacomCBS to remove parts of Oprah Winfrey’s recent interview with Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, claiming the broadcast misrepresented headlines in its paper as racist.

In a letter sent on Friday, Associated Newspapers Ltd. said Winfrey’s special displayed headlines that were “either taken out of context or deliberately edited and displayed as supporting evidence for the programme’s claim that the Duchess of Sussex was subjected to racist coverage by the British press.” 

“We anticipate that you will already be taking steps to investigate the montage and address how it came to be produced,” the letter added. “If you stand by the principles of accuracy and integrity which you espouse, and remove the montage from the footage without delay.”

After the letter was sent, British broadcaster ITV removed the headlines from its version of the show that aired in the United Kingdom, according to the Press Gazette.

CBS did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Hill.

But in the U.S., Harpo Productions — Winfrey’s company that produced the special — defended the use of the headlines. “We stand by the broadcast in its entirety,” the company said in a statement to BuzzFeed News.

Harpo Productions could not be reached for comment.

Associated Newspapers wrote to ViacomCBS again on Saturday, saying, “We have noted the tweet released by Harpo Productions which concludes, with remarkable insouciance, ‘We stand by the broadcast in its entirety’ but also the continued silence and inactivity on the part of ViacomCBS.”

The March 7 interview garnered a record number of viewers for CBS and sent ripples through the media and political worlds.

A legal firm has reportedly been hired by Buckingham Palace to look into claims of bullying against the Duchess of Sussex.