Lonergan and The Sunday Times

Complaint

Mr Liam Lonergan, Managing Director of Club Travel Limited, complained about an article published in The Sunday Times on 9 March 2008 which quoted information supplied by an employee of the company who was described in the article as a “spokesman” for the company. Mr Lonergan complained that as no official spokesman had spoken to the newspaper on behalf of the company, reference in the article to a “spokesman” was inaccurate, misrepresented the company’s position, and caused embarrassment with its client. He complained that this breached Principle 1 (Truth and Accuracy) and Principle 2.1 (Distinguishing Fact and Comment) of the Code of Practice. The newspaper argued that it had addressed a series of questions to a member of Club Travel staff who had first-hand knowledge of the subject matter, and who requested anonymity. It said it was fully entitled to regard the employee as having authority to speak on behalf of the company.

In an attempt to resolve the complaint, the newspaper offered the company the opportunity to write a letter to the editor, clarifying its position. This was turned down by the company. It also offered to publish a clarification, but a suitable wording could not be agreed.

Decision

What is at issue in this case is not the accuracy or otherwise of the information given to the newspaper and published by it, but whether the newspaper was accurate in describing its source within the company as a “spokesman”. The evidence presented shows that the source of the newspaper’s information was an employee of the company who wished to remain anonymous and whose anonymity the newspaper was fully entitled to protect. It is clear, however, both from Mr Lonergan’s complaint and from the subsequent exchanges between the complainant and the newspaper, that the person who spoke to the newspaper’s reporter did not do so with the authority of the company, and that the newspaper’s description of its source as a “spokesman” was significantly inaccurate and therefore a breach of Principle 1 of the Code of Practice.

There was no breach of Principle 2.1.

27 June 2008

The newspaper appealed the decision to the Press Council of Ireland