Below are summaries of the latest complaints involving the regional press which have been resolved between the parties involved, with help from the Press Complaints Commission.

Harborough Mail
Angela Zemlak, of Market Harborough, complained that an article about an incident at Harborough Leisure Centre – where her husband had been taken ill and two lifeguards had attempted to resuscitate him – contained inaccuracies and was intrusive. While he was not identified by name in the coverage, the complainant indicated that her husband was not on his way to recovery, as had been claimed.
The date and certain details of the incident had also been misreported. The complainant was concerned that the newspaper had not made sufficient checks – such as contacting her family – to establish the accuracy of the information prior to publication. (Clauses 1, 3).

Resolution: The complaint was resolved when the editor sent a letter to the complainant, apologising for the way in which the case had been handled and the distress caused by the coverage. While he said that the article had been published in good faith, the editor indicated that the case had highlighted issues about the way in which information was gathered and published, as well as the manner in which complaints were handled.
He undertook to verify information more thoroughly in the future if a similar situation arose. The complainant accepted the editor’s apology as a resolution to her complaint.

Falkirk Herald
Liam Furby, of Polmont, complained on behalf of his father Graham that a court report of an assault on his father contained inaccuracies. Specifically he indicated that, while his father had known Peter Cochrane for a number of years, it was not correct to describe him as a friend. The complainant was also concerned that the article had referred to the attack as a brawl. (Clause 1).

Resolution: The complaint was resolved when the newspaper published a clarification in the following terms:

“With reference to a court case on an assault outside a Polmont pub which appeared in The Falkirk Herald on 12 June, we have been asked to point out that, although victim Graham Furby and defendant Peter Cochrane did know each other, there was no evidence that indicated they were friends. We are happy to clarify the situation and apologise for any confusion or embarrassment caused.”

Ilford Recorder
Surinder Dhingra complained that the newspaper had named her as one of the clients of a drama therapist, who had been suspended from the Health Professions Council register. She had been kept anonymous in the hearing and was distressed to see her name and details of her experience in the newspaper. (Clause 3).

Resolution: The complaint was resolved when the newspaper paid a contribution to the complainant’s legal costs, made a donation to charity and published the following apology:

“In an article published on 9 August, we reported that drama therapist Derek Gale had been suspended from the Health Professions Council register for posing a “significant potential risk of harm to clients”. We named Surinder Dhingra as one of his clients and included some personal information about her. We apologise for causing her and her family distress.”

East London Advertiser
Murad Ali, of East London, complained about the content of two articles – reporting that police were looking for four men who had failed to appear in court following charges of robbery – in the following respects: that a misleading link was suggested between him and the other men featured; that it inaccurately claimed he had failed to appear in court; and that the details of the robbery for which he had been arrested (and acquitted) were inaccurate. (Clause 1).

Resolution: The newspaper published the following apology to the complainant and arranged for online access to both articles to be removed from its website:

“In a report in the East London Advertiser on 3 January, we stated that Mr Murad Ali had been cleared of charges that related to an alleged street robbery. We would like to make clear that Mr Ali had not been arrested in connection with a separate street robbery that took place in May 2005 and we apologise if our reports may have created a mistaken link to that crime. We also apologise for any other embarrassment our report may have inadvertently caused.”

The complaint was resolved on that basis.

Liverpool Daily Post
Lembit Opik MP complained that an article had inaccurately stated that he had “jilted” his former fiancée “in favour of” his current partner. He clarified that his former partner had in fact ended their relationship, a decision that had nothing to do with his subsequent relationship. (Clause 1).

Resolution: The complaint was resolved when the newspaper published the following apology:

“Lembit Opik MP
“In our 2 January report of the secret wedding of TV personality Sian Lloyd, it was wrongly stated that she had been jilted by her former fiancé, Lembit Opik MP. We are happy to set the record straight and apologise for any embarrassment caused.”