Meghan Markle might feel like she needs a win after the Sussexes’ Spotify deal was canceled, and she certainly got one late last week. While she had nothing to do with reporting The Sun‘s Jeremy Clarkson for sexism after his shocking December column about the Duchess of Sussex (she can thank the British public for that), the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), a media watchdog group in the U.K., has ruled in her favor.
Clarkson was found to have broken one of the Editors’ Code of Practice related to discrimination and sexism, according to Variety, and now, The Sun has to “publish a summary of the regulator’s findings.” This will be located in the space normally given to Clarkson’s column in print, be mentioned on the front page, and have to remain on the publisher’s homepage of the website for 24 hours. That’s not exactly a ruling that Clarkson nor The Sun would like to have on their résumé.
Describing it as “the most significant sanction” handed down for such a complaint, IPSO CEO Charlotte Dewar explained to Variety why this was such a monumental moment. “It’s not about whether or not people are offended by something or whether they dislike it; it’s specifically about whether it has breached the Editors’ Code,” she noted. And of course, The Sun “fought IPSO’s decision,” thinking it had done enough by removing Clarkson’s article from the web and issuing an apology, in print and online, in December.
There’s no need to give Clarkson’s hateful words any more energy, or reprint them here, but it gives the public a glimpse at what Meghan has been experiencing since she entered into the royal family. You don’t have to be a fan of the Duchess of Sussex to empathize with the vitriol launched at her and encouraged by Clarkson. And IPSO’s ruling makes it clear that sexism has no place in journalism, whether it’s toward Meghan or anyone else.
Before you go, click here to find out which tell-all books expose major royal family secrets.
Related story
Meghan Markle & Prince Harry Are Reportedly Blaming These Events for Their ‘Unlucky’ Post-Royal Careers