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Ruth Shearn hits back at the knockers, Northern Moor'ers and all the anti-Fergie folk out there |
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Wednesday, 07 October 2009 |
Ruth Shearn, the MD of RMS PR, has something she'd like to get off her chest. It seems like it's been brewing for quite some time now...
Knockers. Don’t you love them?
 Shearn: fighting the knockers
A few months ago I was asked by Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, to help her promote and raise money for a community project she was supporting in Northern Moor.
You may have seen ITV’s pre-publicity about the documentary that tracked the project. If not, you will undoubtedly have picked up on the subsequent media hoo-ha about it. Or to be specific, about her - the good or not so good old Duchess.
As I’ve been going about my business in recent weeks, I’ve been dismayed by how supposedly intelligent people sometimes just don’t ‘get it’. Perhaps because I work in the media sector, I’m more switched on about what motivates television producers, how the editing process works and other such matters.
 Fergie on location
There have been two key thrusts to the criticism.
People have said to me that Sarah – for that is what I call her these days! – came across as patronising. I couldn’t disagree more. Now had she put on a shell suit and started trying to get down with the kids and being something she patently isn’t then, yes, that would have been patronising and condescending.
She was herself, warts and all. She can’t help who she is, so why should she apologise for it?
It is also essential people realise that programme makers have an ulterior motive when making a programme – they want to attract viewers. A bland programme doesn’t do that. So when they are editing, they cut away to achieve a dramatic, sensational and more compelling story.
 Residents up in arms
Doh! Hello? I have this argument with my partner every single year when I weep and donate during Children in Need or Comic Relief. His argument is that all the executive time taken up in producing the shows could simply have been donated to the said charities and his TV viewing wouldn’t be disrupted.
This misses the point entirely. It’s not just about the money. It’s about raising awareness. Trying to touch peoples’ minds and consciousness. Make people reassess life, their lives. Bringing people together towards a common goal.
Whether or not the community centre succeeds, at least Sarah has tried to do something. It is so much easier to sit, criticise and do nothing.
Even if her reasons were cynical and driven by motives of self-publicity, so what?
 Unwelcome in Wythenshawe
Yes, some people – unsung heroes all of them - just get on quietly doing good things.
Sarah could never do that in a million years because she is the mother of the Queens grandchildren. So she has harnessed her ace card, her key asset – her fame – to the best ends and at least tried to deliver something positive. Good on her.
Her fame is the tool of her trade. There are many famous and rich people who choose to simply bask in the light of their fame and do nothing beyond that.
As a good working class girl from South Wales, believe me, I am not a monarchist and – as anyone who knows me will attest – I am not a sycophant. I always judge people for who they are, not what they are.
 Sarah and Ruth
Please get off her back and give her a break. Irrespective of the motivation - whether self-promotion or genuine philanthropy - at least she is doing something. If she helps change just one life for the better, which I know for a fact she has, it will have been worth it.
When was the last time you did something more than simply reach for your cheque book?
Even if the people of Northern Moor fail to sustain the project, positive things will have come out of the whole project. Personal and professional relationships have been forged and my faith in the good of people has been reinforced by the group of wonderful people who made donations and ‘got it’. www.rmspr.co.uk Something to add? Then leave a comment below or email us now.
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