ESB and the Irish Independent

The Press Ombudsman has decided that an offer made by the Irish Independent was sufficient to resolve a complaint from the ESB that a reference to it in an article on 2 September 2011 was in breach of Principles 1 (Truth and Accuracy) and 4 (Respect for Rights) of the Code of Practice for Newspapers and Magazines.

The ESB complained about the contents of two paragraphs in an article about the organization, which included the paraphrasing of a statement issued by Age Action on fuel poverty and excess winter deaths. The ESB complained that the paragraphs in question inferred that ESB policy was responsible for some excess winter deaths because they included a statement that there was “an obvious link between high costs and high death rates.”

The newspaper responded that the article represented an honest opinion on a matter of deep public concern, and did not accept that the article breached the Code of Practice. It said that it would accept, subject to any legal constraints, a letter from the complainants setting out the ESB’s position on the issue. The offer was turned down by the complainants.

The Press Ombudsman decided that the article’s reference to the Age Action statement was reasonable and, insofar as the other matters complained of were primarily matters of emphasis or opinion, that the newspaper’s offer was sufficient in all the circumstances to resolve the complaint.

20 January 2012