The press watchdog has resolved a dispute over information taken from a council press release which led to an inaccuracy in a regional daily.
Martin Wallis-Keyworth complained to the Independent Press Standards Organisation that The Star, Sheffield, breached Clause 1 (Accuracy) of the Editors’ Code of Practice in an article which at under a Sheffield City Council scheme designed to promote start-up businesses, entrepreneurs were being offered money to take up empty shops in the city.
The story reported that the complainant’s shop was taking part in the scheme, which he denied.
He was also concerned that it inaccurately suggested he had received a financial grant.
The Star said that the information about the complainant published in the article had been taken in good faith from a Sheffield City Council press release.
It accepted that when read in the context of the article as a whole, the article’s reference to the complainant and his shop may have suggested he had received a grant under the scheme.
After IPSO launched an investigation into the matter, The Star offered to publish a correction.
It states: “A recent Star article about a Sheffield City Council scheme offering up to £10,000 to people to take on empty shops in the city centre inferred that Martin Wallis-Keyworth, of Truth or Dare tattoo parlour was a beneficiary of the Re:New scheme.
“Mr Wallis-Keyworth was cited in a council press release only as an example of a business that had taken an empty shop. He is keen to make clear that he did not receive financial assistance from the scheme.”
Sign up for our free daily email bulletin
Follow HTFP on Twitter
Got a story? Email the Editor at
Papers are now publishing council press releases relating to court hearings!
Report this comment
in the days when we actually used to do some journalism, the release was the starting point: you would then be expected to make contact with the people involved to get a quote and check that the information was accurate. It is hardly surprising that in this age of spoon-feeding and shovelling everything into pre-determined templates that mistakes will be made.
Report this comment
These days all you’re supposed to do is stick a new top on it and fit it onto a template. Job done and on to the next. My habit of ripping it apart and – as Antiquarian said – using it as a starting point was considered a waste of time. I did enjoy cutting out the dreadful, jargon-filled quotes though.
Report this comment
Some extra facts here — the original release in July from the council not only got important details wrong; but also the name of the owner of the of the “high-class tattoo parlour”. So, if this man had been contacted by either the slipshod communications department, or even a Star journalist it would have been sorted months ago. Instead it was a typical cut and paste job. Additionally does nobody at the Star understand the difference between “infer” and “imply”? Yet another Johnston Press howler.
Report this comment
And why did it go to IPSO? Surely the editor should have just published a correction without quibbling.
Report this comment