Press body ‘faces watershed’ after Meghan interview row

Board members could quit Society of Editors without improvements in diversity

Oprah Winfrey's interview with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex is set to inflict further damage to the reputation of the British media this week. The couple's accusations of endemic racism have challenged the tone of royal coverage and prompted the high-profile departure of Piers Morgan from ITV's morning show. Now the aftershock is rocking the heart of Fleet Street culture.

Leading newspaper editors and journalists warn that the Society of Editors, a key industry body, will lose all credibility if it fails to announce fundamental changes and issue an apology for an initial refusal to recognise recurrent racism in some quarters of British journalism.