Russell and the Sunday World

Complaint

Mr Russell complained that a reference to him in an article about his brother’s funeral published in the Sunday World on 4 May 2008 breached Principle 1 (Truth and Accuracy) and Principle 5 (Privacy) of the Code of Practice. He complained that the newspaper’s statement that he had been a target of the gang that murdered his brother was inaccurate, and that publishing this statement was also a breach of his privacy. The newspaper replied that their sources, with direct knowledge of the events and of those involved, had indicated that both brothers had been targets on the night in question.

Decision

Issues in relation to truth and accuracy under Principle 1 depend, for their resolution, on the verifiability of the information reported. In this case, it is impossible to verify the truth or accuracy of the statement objected to by the complainant. However, publishing as true and accurate an assertion containing serious implications for a named individual, without attribution to any source (including anonymous sources) that would enable readers to assess its reliability, is insufficient evidence that the newspaper concerned has striven for truth and accuracy as provided for in Principle 1.1. For these reasons, the disputed reference to the complainant in the article is a breach of Principle 1 of the Code of Practice, and his complaint under this Principle is therefore upheld. However, the reference to the complainant in the context of the article is insufficient to justify upholding his complaint under Principle 5 (Privacy).

11 September 2008

The Sunday World appealed the decision of the Press Ombudsman to the Press Council of Ireland.