Gantley and the Sunday World

Complaint

Mr Gantley complained that an article published in the Sunday World on 25th October 2009 was in breach of Principle 2 (Distinguishing Fact and Comment) of the Code of Practice for Newspapers and Periodicals.
The newspaper did not respond either to the complainant or to the Office of the Press Ombudsman about this complaint.

Decision

The description of the complainant in this article as “the well-known drug dealer” was, in the opinion of the Press Ombudsman, a comment, conjecture, rumour or unconfirmed report that was reported as fact, and for this reason a breach of Principle 2.1. The complaint is therefore upheld.

The complainant also maintained that the article in question was in breach of Principles 1 (Truth and Accuracy), 3 (Fairness and Honesty), 4 (Respect for Rights), and 5 (Privacy).  The Press Ombudsman’s view is that, with the exception of the statement in breach of Principle 2 noted above, the other statements complained of in the article either refer to strong differences of opinion about events about which no decision can be made by the Press Ombudsman, are appropriately attributed, or do not present any breach of the articles of the Code of Practice cited by the complainant.

29 January 2010