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.

Burton Mail
M Price complained that an article inaccurately suggested that she had threatened to remove a dog litter bin from a site close to her house during a local council meeting. (Clause 1)
Resolution: The matter was resolved when the editor offered to published a correction on the matter, making the complainant’s position clear.

Express & Echo
J Batten of Devon complained that a series of articles on the conditions of release of Brian Parsons from prison contained inaccuracies. (Clause 1)
Resolution: The complaint was resolved when the newspaper published a clarification on the matter.

The Scotsman
R Bennett of Aberdeen complained that an article was inaccurate when it reported allegations made by an MSP that he had threatened a Dunblane-style massacre. The complainant was also concerned that the article stated that he had a gun licence when he did not. (Clause 1)
Resolution: The newspaper published a correction on the gun licence point in addition to the complainant’s denial of the allegation.

Craven Herald & Post
R Hartley complained that a letter published in the newspaper contained inaccurate and misleading information regarding a proposed new zoo. He was also concerned that this own letter, refuting the information, had not been published. (Clause 1)
Resolution: The complaint was resolved when the newspaper published a letter from the complainant.

The News (Portsmouth)
S Knight, of Portsmouth, complained that an article reporting the closure of two flats suspected of being drug dens contained a picture of one of the women evicted which included part of the complainant’s face. The complainant was identifiable from this image, but had nothing to do with the woman whose court case was reported. (Clause 1)
Resolution: The complainant accepted the newspaper’s offer to publish a letter making clear that, as far as he was concerned, he did not know the woman featured in the image and accompanying article.

Grimsby Evening Telegraph
Christine Miller of Grimsby complained that an article on the sale of her partner’s former home was inaccurate and intruded into their privacy. (Clauses 1, 3)
Resolution: The complaint was resolved when the newspaper, which acknowledged its errors, wrote a private letter of apology for the distress caused and amended its internal records to ensure that the mistakes would not be repeated.

The Westmoreland Gazette
J Atkinson, of Kendal, complained that an article about the inquest into the death of her parents contained intrusive and unnecessary information. (Clause 5)
Resolution: The editor published a letter from the complainant allowing her to express her concerns about the manner in which the inquest was reported.

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