[imagesource: Toby Melville/Reuters]

Sorry, guys.

You keep reading it, and we’ll be forced to write about it.

As you no doubt are already aware, Piers Morgan has left his job at ITV’s Good Morning Britain (GMB), having stormed off a live broadcast earlier in the day when a co-presenter called him out on his continuous bashing of Meghan Markle.

Piers said he didn’t believe a word of what Meghan said during that Oprah interview, and dedicated most of the 36 hours following that interview’s broadcast to bashing Harry’s wife.

Yes, it’s basically because he was ghosted by Meghan back in the day, and has never quite recovered.

By the way, when met by a throng of reporters the day after ‘quitting’ GMB, Piers stuck to his guns, calling Meghan’s words a “diatribe of bilge”:

Charming.

Anyway, let’s hear from Nicole Hemmer, an associate research scholar at Columbia University, who penned an opinion piece for CNN titled ‘What Piers Morgan’s real problem is’.

Sheesh, how much time do you have?

Hemmer argues that whilst Piers positions himself as a champion of free speech, that’s not entirely true:

It’s a fitting end, in a way, for the latest controversy, which has very little to do with free speech and a whole lot to do with hypocrisy. For all his talk of Meghan and her husband, Harry, Duke of Sussex, manipulating people emotionally, that’s precisely what Morgan is trying to do…

But Morgan is no free speech warrior. Back in 2011, he banned the actor Hugh Grant from his programs because Grant criticized the tabloid press. Nor is he interested in doing the work to cultivate an environment that welcomes an open exchange of ideas. As he showed when he marched off the set in response to a colleague’s measured criticism, Morgan doesn’t want a debate. He wants a safe space for his explosive anger and bullying.

He also wants the moral high ground, so he’s eager to posture as a defender of a more abstract, more noble right. “Freedom of speech is a hill I’m happy to die on,” he tweeted after his departure from “Good Morning, Britain” was announced. “Thanks for all the love, and hate. I’m off to spend more time with my opinions.” But really it’s his feelings that he’s off to coddle.

Cool. Nothing we haven’t heard before.

I’m certain Piers Morgan won’t read them, even though he trawls Twitter, searching his name.

Also, a word of advice to those relentlessly trashing Meghan Markle on Facebook or other social media channels – she won’t see it, but there’s a good chance your friends and family, one or many of whom have perhaps struggled with their own mental health, will.

That’s only going to make it more difficult for somebody who needs help to ask for it.

Just something to think about.

[source:cnn]