1709/2023 - A Person and www.irishmirror.ie

Appeal to Press Council

The editor appealed the Press Ombudsman’s decision to the Press Council of Ireland on the grounds that (1) the procedures followed in making the decision were not in accordance with the published procedures for considering complaints and (2) there had been an error in the Press Ombudsman’s application of the Principles of the Code of Practice.  

At its meeting on 7 February 2024 the Press Council considered the appeal on each of the grounds relied upon in the appeal and on the information, documentation and submissions made by both parties to the appeal. 

Press Council’s Decision

The Press Council decided to uphold the appeal on the ground that the procedures followed in making the decision were not in accordance with the published procedures for considering complaints because it found that the Press Ombudsman based part of her decision on a matter that was not raised by the complainant.

The Council also upheld the appeal on the ground that there had been an error in the Press Ombudsman’s application of Principle 1 of the Code of Practice.  The Press Ombudsman decided that the article breached Principle 1 of the Code because its failure to include or seek a view of the HSE or anyone with appropriate professional expertise was a significant distortion and fell short of the requirement to strive for truth and accuracy.   However, the Press Council found that the omission of a particular view did not mean that the publication failed to strive for truth and accuracy.