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.

Liverpool Echo
Peter Fisher of Liverpool complained that an article had reported unfounded allegations made about him by a Member of Parliament. He contended that the newspaper should report the Government’s decision not to hold an inquiry into those allegations. (Clause 1)
Resolution: The matter was resolved when the newspaper’s managing editor met with the complainant and a follow-up article was published.

Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Mr and Mrs Richards of Lincolnshire complained that the newspaper had published inaccurate articles about their son, Darrell Richards, who is serving a six year prison sentence for supplying heroin. The newspaper had claimed that he had written to it boasting that he was making £1,000 a week selling heroin from his cell. The letter was a hoax: Mr Richards wrote no such letter, indeed was not in the prison from which it was sent, and has never claimed to be selling drugs at all in prison. (Clause 1)
Resolution: The newspaper published a correction and apology.

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