Colgan and The Irish Times

The Press Ombudsman has decided that an article published in The Irish Times on 3 February did not breach the Code of Practice for Newspapers and Magazines, and has therefore decided not to uphold a complaint about it under the Code.

Mr John Colgan PC complained that the article’s criticisms of his actions in reporting a bishop’s sermon to the Gardaí under the Prevention of Incitement to Hatred Act amounted to a breach of Principle 8 of the Code because they were gratuitously offensive to him and were calculated to stir up hatred against him. He also complained that other elements of the article breached Principles1.2 (Truth and Accuracy) and 2.2 (Distinguishing Fact and Comment) of the Code.

The newspaper offered to publish a letter from the complainant as a right of reply – an offer the complainant said was inadequate.

Although the columnist who wrote the article was plainly not concerned to spare the feelings of Mr Colgan, a former public representative, the comments contained in the article could not reasonably be interpreted as meeting the requirements for a breach of the Principles of the Code of Practice cited by the complainant.

23 May 2012

The Complainant appealed the Decision of the Press Ombudsman to the Press Council of Ireland.