Fr. Raymond Hannon and the Irish Sun

The Press Ombudsman has decided that there is insufficient evidence to allow him to make a decision on a complaint by Fr Raymond Hannon about the accuracy of an article that was published about him in the Irish Sun on 5 November 2012.

Fr Hannon complained that the article was inaccurate and consequently in breach of Principle 1 of the Code of Practice for Newspapers and Magazines because, he said, it contained a number of statements attributed to him which he did not make.

The newspaper stood over the article and said that its contents were based on a conversation between Fr Hannon and one of the newspaper’s reporters at Fr Hannon’s home.

Having very carefully considered the file on the complaint, the Press Ombudsman found that it was impossible to make a decision on the truth or accuracy of the statements complained about as there was an  irreconcilable conflict of evidence in the case.

8 March 2013