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Latest resolved complaints dealt with by the PCC

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.

Dewsbury Reporter
Joanne Standeven of Dewsbury complained that the published citation for the Reporter Series Champion Children Award given to her son by the newspaper contained inaccuracies. She was concerned that it, inadvertently, misrepresented when her relationship with her son’s father ended. (Clause 1)
Resolution: The complaint was resolved when the newspaper published the following clarification: On May 2, 2007, we printed the picture round-up from this year’s Champion Children event. In it, we said that nominee Tommy Standeven’s mother Joanne learned she was pregnant with twins after she split up with Tommy’s father. In fact, the break-up occurred after the pregnancy was confirmed. We also erroneously referred to Tommy as Thomas. We are happy to set the record straight on both these matters.
Ms Standeven wished to make clear that she was grateful to the newspaper for the generous manner in which it had resolved her complaint.

Western Gazette
Mary Smith of Dorset complained that an inquest report into the death of her son contained inaccuracies and was published without due sensitivity. (Clauses 1, 5)
Resolution: The editor of the newspaper wrote the complainant a private letter of apology and published a letter from her with the following wording: I am writing this letter to the Western Gazette in response to a complaint made on behalf of my son’s family against a media report published in March, following Simon’s Inquest on 28 February 2007.
After initially contacting The Press Complaints Commission I now wish to thank the Editor, Mr Tim Dixon for responding to my concerns with a conciliatory letter of apology and for allowing Simon’s family to publish this letter.
My son took his own life after struggling to cope with several major disappointments that completely overwhelmed him in the months leading up to his death in October 2006.
Our concerns with the initial report post – Inquest referred to inaccuracies and sensationalism in part.
These concerns have now been redressed and one can hope that in future, all reports of self inflicted deaths will be constrained, mindful of the World Health Organisation’s recommended guidelines to the media concerning the impact such reporting has on families, especially for children who have to struggle with a traumatic bereavement for the rest of their lives and to try and make sense of it.
Simon was a loving father, brother and son who was valued and respected by all. He was a charismatic and endearing young man who loved his family and friends. Always standing up for his beliefs, righting wrongs, he had a moral conscience about humanity and the environment. Si worked as an Operating Department Practitioner for an agency at local Dorchester hospitals and was highly respected as a hard working, experienced professional by his work colleagues. He trained at Poole, Southampton and Bournemouth Hospitals. His work colleagues in the UK and New Zealand have been devastated by his death and tributes still pour in. Over 150 people attended Simon’s funeral, a fitting testament to his life and the way he touched people’s lives.

The complaint was resolved on this basis.

Western Telegraph
Jonathan Twigg of Haverfordwest complained that a report of an abandoned football match between Milford United and Haverfordwest County, which he had officiated, was inaccurate and misleading when he was quoted despite his insistence that he did not wish to comment to the reporter. The complainant was also concerned that the article inaccurately explained the circumstances in which two players were sent off and incorrectly identified the individual who threw a linesman’s flag at him following the game’s abandonment.
The newspaper stated that the complainant had initially spoken to its reporter and then announced that he did not wish to comment further on the matter. It produced contemporaneous shorthand notes to corroborate this position. (Clause 1)
Resolution: The complaint was resolved when the newspaper – which had offered the complainant an opportunity to reply in the form of a published letter – agreed to meet privately with him to discuss the entire case. While the outcome of the meeting was not entirely satisfactory, the complainant wished for there to be a summary of the complaint on the Commission’s website.

Milford Mercury
Jonathan Twigg of Haverfordwest complained that a report of an abandoned football match between Milford United and Haverfordwest County, which he had officiated, was inaccurate and misleading when he was quoted despite his insistence that he did not wish to comment to the reporter. The complainant was also concerned that the article inaccurately explained the circumstances in which two players were sent off and incorrectly identified the individual who threw a linesman’s flag at him following the game’s abandonment.
The newspaper stated that the complainant had initially spoken to its reporter and then announced that he did not wish to comment further on the matter. It produced contemporaneous shorthand notes to corroborate this position. (Clause 1)
Resolution: The complaint was resolved when the newspaper – which had offered the complainant an opportunity to reply in the form of a published letter – agreed to meet privately with him to discuss the entire case. While the outcome of the meeting was not entirely satisfactory, the complainant wished for there to be a summary of the complaint on the Commission’s website.

Northern Echo
Martin Cundy of Darlington complained that an article on the subject of an assault, of which he had been the victim, was inaccurate. He argued that it implied that he had been responsible for being attacked due to being inappropriately involved with the complainant’s girlfriend. It also wrongly suggested that he received his injuries while falling over a fence when trying to escape. (Clause 1)
Resolution: The complaint was resolved when the newspaper published the following apology: On May 17, 2007, The Northern Echo reported that former soldier Paul Varga, of Heathburn Court, Newton Aycliffe, admitted assaulting Martin Cundy. Teesside Crown Court was told that the assault took place after Varga discovered Mr Cundy in his girlfriend’s home in the early hours of the morning. In a statement to police, read out in court by the prosecution, Mr Cundy said that he fell asleep on the sofa and woke to find Varga attacking him. Mr Cundy wishes it to be known that nothing untoward happened between him and the defendant’s girlfriend. We have also been asked to make it clear that Mr Cundy’s injuries of a shattered nose, black eyes , sore jaw, badly swollen lip, cut chin and split head resulted from the violent assault and not from him falling over a fence in his attempts to escape the attack, as wrongly suggested in our report. We are happy to set the record straight and apologise for any misunderstanding about how Mr Cundy sustained his injuries.

Evening Standard
Rodney Mchugh of Surrey complained that an article about the death of his former partner was inaccurate. (Clause 1)
Resolution: The matter was resolved when the newspaper published the following apology and correction: Further to our article ‘Body-in-boot mother found wearing rubber fetish gear with chains’ of April 27 we would like to make clear that the body of Janet Hossain, of Manor Park, East London, was not discovered wearing bondage clothes as we stated. We apologise to her family for any distress caused.