A Family and the Drogheda Independent

The Press Ombudsman has decided that the Drogheda Independent made an offer of sufficient remedial action to resolve a complaint from a family about the publication of a news report relating to the accidental death of a family member.

The family complained that the publication of the news report about this event was in breach of Principle 5.3 (Privacy) of the Code of Practice for Newspapers and Magazines, particularly as the report was very prominent and was published before the deceased’s funeral. The family also complained that they were not contacted or advised in advance of publication, and that certain information in the article compromised the safety of a family member. The newspaper originally responded to the family explaining that it had first approached a number of local people because it did not wish to intrude on the family at such a difficult time. It apologised if the coverage of the tragedy had added to the family’s distress. It stated that much of the information in the article, including the information which the family felt compromised the safety of a family member, had been obtained from and attributed to named individuals. After the family contacted the Office of the Press Ombudsman, the editor wrote a letter of apology to the family in which he accepted and apologised for the fact that the newspaper’s coverage had added to the family’s distress.

Although there is no doubt that the timing of the article in question was distressing for the family of the deceased, the tone and content of the article was sympathetic and factual, and it is difficult to see why such a significant local event should not have been reported in the next issue of the newspaper concerned. There was also evidence that indirect contact with the family had been made by the newspaper and that the newspaper’s subsequent decision not to contact the family directly prior to publication was out of concern for their privacy. Publication followed checking with a number of trustworthy local people, including a local Catholic priest, and the newspaper’s letter apologised for the distress caused to the family. In these circumstances, in the opinion of the Press Ombudsman, the action taken by the newspaper was sufficient to resolve the complaint, even though it was not acceptable to the family.
 

06 April 2011