Cribbin and the Connaught Telegraph

The Press Ombudsman has decided not to uphold a complaint that an article in the Connaught Telegraph on 1 March 2011 was in breach of Principles 1 (Truth and Accuracy), 3 (Fairness and Honesty) and 4 (Respect for Rights) of the Code of Practice for Newspapers and Magazines.

The complaint, by Mr Lorcan Cribbin, was about a 37-word item about the application of parking tickets to vehicles outside the general election count centre during the election count. The editor of the newspaper twice offered to publish a letter from the complainant by way of right of reply, but the complainant declined this offer.

The article did not, as the complainant maintained, contain any implication whatsoever that the activities of public servants involved were unlawful or unprofessional, or were a misuse of their authority. Nor did the complainant supply any evidence to support his contention under Principle 1 that some statements in the item were inaccurate or untrue.

Insofar as the article contained comment, such comment was not in any way in breach of the Code of Practice. Nor was there any evidence that the information contained in the item had been obtained through misrepresentation, harassment or subterfuge, as would be required to support a complaint under Principle 3, or that the newspaper knowingly published matter based on malicious misrepresentation or unfounded allegations, or that it did not take reasonable care in checking facts before publication, as would be required for a breach of Principle 4. The complaint is therefore not upheld.

23 May 2011