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.

Comet Series
Kevin Huntly of Hitchin complained through his MP, Peter Lilley, that an article about the tragic death of his son was gratuitous and insensitive at an enormously difficult time for him and his family. (Clause 5)
Resolution: The matter was resolved when the newspaper published a critical letter from a member of the public and a note apologising to the complainant and his family. The editor also wrote directly to a number of family members acknowledging that there had been an error of judgement in the tone of the story and apologising for the distress that had been caused. Subsequently, he met with the complainant to apologise in a face-to-face meeting.

The Northern Echo
A woman complained that a court report which detailed a conviction for sexual abuse was inaccurate and misleading in its terminology. (Clause 1)
Resolution: The complaint was resolved when the newspaper published a clarification on the matter.

The Scotsman
Father Graham Bell of Rome complained that a letter he had submitted to the newspaper had been edited prior to publication so that it became misleading and inaccurate. (Clause 1)
Resolution: The matter was resolved when the newspaper published a clarification.

Bristol Evening Post
David Greenslade of Bristol complained that an article regarding repairs his company had made on a customer's car was inaccurate. (Clause 1)
Resolution: The newspaper apologised for any upset that had been caused by the article and published a letter from the complainant on the subject. It also arranged for publication of an article in its motoring section.

Walthamstow Guardian
J Marriott, of Walthamstow, complained that an article about a police crackdown on truancy unnecessarily provided details leading to the identification of her nephew, who was away from school due to illness and not due to truancy. (Clause 6)
Resolution: The matter was resolved by the newspaper's offer to write a letter of apology to the complainant's nephew and provide a published apology on the matter.

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