Price and The Sunday Times

The Press Ombudsman has decided not to uphold a complaint by Mr Brendan Price that an article published in The Sunday Times on 3 July 2011 breached Principle 1 (Truth and Accuracy), Principle 2 (Distinguishing Fact and Comment), Principle 3 (Fairness and Honesty), Principle 4 (Respect for Rights) and Principle 5 (Privacy) of the Code of Practice for Newspapers and Magazines.

Mr Price complained that an article headlined ‘Seal sanctuary in row over ‘lost’ donation’ was an unsubstantiated and untruthful report. He said the event as reported did not occur, and that this rendered the entire article untrue.

The article quoted remarks made by the chairwoman of the Irish Seal Sanctuary following the alleged cancellation of a cheque made to the Sanctuary by a donor, and included reference to a conversation which she said she had with the donor, in which the donor had said she had withdrawn her donation following a conversation with Mr Price.

The newspaper contacted Mr Price in advance of publication to discuss his role in the matter and to let him know that it was investigating complaints from two Irish Seal Sanctuary sources about the situation that had arisen following the withdrawal of the donation. The newspaper said that Mr Price did not, despite being invited to do so, highlight any specific inaccuracies in the story it was about to publish. On Mr Price’s suggestion, the newspaper contacted other Board members, and they were quoted in the article.

The newspaper undoubtedly strove for truth and accuracy in its reporting of these events, by contacting Mr Price in advance of publishing the article, by contacting other Board members on his recommendation, and subsequently, after speaking to other Board members, by contacting Mr Price again. It also published Mr Price’s views on the statement made by the chairwoman of the Sanctuary. The complaint under Principle 1 of the Code is therefore not upheld.

There is no evidence that the article in question breached Principles 2, 3, 4 or 5 of the Code of Practice, and the complaints under these Principles are therefore not upheld.

2 August 2011