1738/2023 - A Man and the Sligo Champion

Appeal to Press Council of Ireland

The man appealed the Press Ombudsman’s decision to the Press Council of Ireland on the grounds that the procedures followed in making the decision were not in accordance with the published procedures for considering complaints.    The appeal was submitted on the basis that the Press Ombudsman had not considered all of the material on file when making her decision and in particular, that none of nine responses referenced in an email from him to the Press Ombudsman were included in her decision.

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 reject the appeal on the grounds that it contained no evidence to show that the Press Ombudsman did not give due regard to all of the correspondence on file in coming to her decision.  It noted that decisions of the Press Ombudsman are, by their nature, a summary of the relevant information on file, and cannot include reference to all of that material.