Decided by the Press Ombudsman

The Press Ombudsman has decided to uphold a complaint by Mrs Frances Cahill that some statements in an article published in the Sunday World on 17 April 2011 were in breach of Principle 2 (Distinguishing Fact and Comment) of the Code of Practice for Newspapers and Magazines, because they were rumours or unconfirmed reports reported as fact.

The Press Ombudsman has decided to uphold a complaint made by the Parliamentary Legal Adviser to the Houses of the Oireachtas on behalf of the Clerk of Dáil Éireann, Mr Kieran Coughlan, and the Oireachtas Service, that an article published in the Irish Mail on Sunday on 20 February 2011 breached Principle 2 (Distinguishing Fact and Comment) of the Code of Practice for Newspapers and Magazines. A number of other complaints about the article were not upheld, and it was not possible for him to decide on one of the complaints made about the same article under Principle 1 (Truth and Accuracy).

The Press Ombudsman has decided that The Sunday Times made an offer of sufficient remedial action to resolve a complaint made by solicitors representing Thomas and Sean McGuinn, t/a Mac Aviation Limited, that an article published on 30 January 2011 breached Principle 1 (Truth and Accuracy) of the Code of Practice for Newspapers and Magazines. A further complaint that the article breached Principle 3 of the Code (Fairness and Honesty) was not upheld.

The Press Ombudsman has decided that the taking of a photograph published to illustrate an article in the News of the World on 17 April last breached Principle 5 of the Code of Practice for Newspapers and Magazines. A number of other complaints were not upheld, and it was not possible for him to decide, based on the evidence before him, on a number of other complaints made under Principle 1 (Truth and Accuracy) of the Code.

The Press Ombudsman has decided not to uphold a complaint made by Dr Kieran Jack McGinley and other staff of the library in Trinity College Dublin about a report published in the University Times on 23 March 2011.

The Press Ombudsman has decided that The Sunday Business Post made an offer of sufficient remedial action to resolve a complaint made on behalf of the Architects’ Alliance about an article published on 30 January 2011.

The Press Ombudsman has decided that an editorial published in The Irish Times on family law proposals by the Law Reform Commission did not breach Principle 2.2 (Distinguishing Fact and Comment) of the Code of Practice for Newspapers and Magazines.

The Press Ombudsman has decided that an article published in The Irish Times on family law did not breach Principle 1.1 (Truth and Accuracy) of the Code of Practice for Newspapers and Magazines.

The Press Ombudsman has decided not to uphold a complaint that an article in the Connaught Telegraph on 1 March 2011 was in breach of Principles 1 (Truth and Accuracy), 3 (Fairness and Honesty) and 4 (Respect for Rights) of the Code of Practice for Newspapers and Magazines.

The Press Ombudsman has decided to uphold a complaint made jointly by the International Harm Reduction Association, the Irish Needle Exchange Forum and the CityWide Drugs Crisis Campaign, supported by a number of Irish drug service providers and professionals, that an article published in the Irish Independent on 18 February 2011 breached Principle 8 (Prejudice) of the Code of Practice for Newspapers and Magazines because it was likely to cause grave offence to or stir up hatred against individuals or groups addicted to drugs on the basis of their illness.