The majority of complaints made to the Press Complaints Commission, which raise a possible breach of the Code of Practice, are resolved directly between the Commission's staff, editors and complainants.

These are either settled to the express satisfaction of the complainant following some remedial action by the editor or are not pursued by complainants following an explanation or other response from the publication.

Below are summaries of the latest complaints involving the regional press which fall into the first category.

Evening Standard
Simone Moore of London, and a number of other individuals, complained that a photograph of Iraqis celebrating the liberation of Baghdad had been electronically enhanced to depict a larger crowd than actually existed. (Clause 1)
Resolution: The newspaper published a clarification stating that a number of extra people had been added to the picture following the removal of TV company logos from the original image.

Seaford Gazette
R Shepherd complained, through the agency of solicitors, that a report of his court hearing inaccurately described his convictions. (Clause 1)
Resolution: The newspaper offered to publish a clarification on the matter.

Lancashire Evening Telegraph
Robert Downey of Rossendale complained that the newspaper had unfairly emphasised – on the front page – the allegations of sexual assault directed against him in a trial. He considered that the coverage of the case – in which he was cleared of all charges – was imbalanced in its focus upon the prosecution rather than the defence and subsequent not guilty verdict. (Clause 1)
Resolution: The newspaper – which made clear that its continued coverage of the ongoing trial included stories on the complainant's defence and acquittal, the latter of which with a front page 'trailer' – offered to publish a letter from the complainant in which he could reiterate the fact that he was not guilty of the charges.

Edinburgh Evening News
Stuart Asher complained that an article describing how his mother had fallen out of a bed while in intensive care was intrusive into her privacy, an invasion of the family's grief at her illness, and a breach of the Code’s rules on hospitals. (Clauses 3, 4, 5, 6)
Resolution: The editor of the newspaper wrote personally to the complainant to apologise for the distress which he and other family members had suffered following publication of the original article.

Watford Free Observer
Coun D Sansom, of Rickmansworth, complained that an article reporting the increase in road traffic accident fatalities contained inaccuracies. (Clause 1)
Resolution: The newspaper published a correction the matter.

Sussex Express
Neil Morgan of Sussex complained that an article about the end proceedings against him for indecent assault contained a number of factual inaccuracies. (Clause 1)
Resolution: The newspaper published a correction on one point, regarding the original suggestion that the charges against the complainant were dropped. In fact, proceedings were stayed as the judge ruled he could not expect to receive a fair trial.

Daily Record
James Smith of HMP Peterhead complained that the newspaper had inaccurately suggested that he had been reunited in prison with Thomas McCulloch, the man with whom he was convicted of murder. He also denied that the two men shared identical dressing gowns and questioned the newspaper's description of his crime. (Clause 1)
Resolution: The newspaper amended its records to reflect the complainant's denial of the first two points.

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