Meghan Markle denies being ‘inflammatory’ and says she ignores both flattery and criticism

Duchess of Sussex says ‘what ends up being inflammatory it seems is people’s interpretation of it’

Meghan Markle has spoken out about misinformation and the importance of “reliable media and news sources”.

On Tuesday, the Duchess of Sussex spoke with Fortune's senior editor Ellen McGirt at the magazine's Most Powerful Women virtual summit.

During her appearance, Meghan, who has made numerous appearances recently and been outspoken in her goal in encouraging people to vote, discussed how her words have often been misinterpreted.

“If you look back at anything I’ve said, what ends up being inflammatory it seems is people’s interpretation of it. But if you listen to what I actually say it’s not controversial,” the duchess said. “And actually, some of it is reactive to things that just haven’t happened.”

According to Meghan, who said she believes you need to have a sense of humour to deal with the responses, there can also “be a lot of danger in a misinterpretation of something that was never there to begin with”.

The duchess also discussed other challenges of the internet age, and what it will take to achieve “humane tech”.

″We have got to all put our stock in something that is true, and we need to have reliable media and news sources that are telling us the truth…when you know something is wrong, report it, talk about it," Meghan said, according to People.

Acknowledging that talk of bots and trolls sounds futuristic and “seems so fantastical,” she continued: “That’s actually the current state of affairs and that is shaping how we interact with each other online and off - and that’s the piece that’s important. It is not just an isolated experience. It transcends into how you interact with anyone around you and certainly your own relationship with yourself.”

As for what her experience has been amid the pandemic, the duchess, who recently relocated to California with her husband Prince Harry and their son Archie, said “we are all going through a reset”.

“We are all going through a reset and we are all going through a moment of reckoning - and probably a reevaluation of what really matters,” she said. “For me, it’s been amazing to spend time with my husband and watch our little one grow and that’s where our attention has been.

“In addition to, of course, how we can be a part of the change of energy that so many people are craving right now and whatever we can do to help in that capacity.”

The duchess concluded her appearance with a quote from artist Georgia O'Keeffe, who said: “I have already settled it for myself so flattery and criticism go down the same drain and I am quite free."

Meghan’s latest appearance comes after she and Prince Harry urged Americans to vote in the upcoming US election during a televised Time 100 special last week.

“Every four years, we are told the same thing, that ‘This is the most important election of our lifetime’. But this one is. When we vote, our values are put into action and our voices are heard. Your voice is a reminder that you matter. Because you do. And you deserve to be heard,” Meghan said.