COMPLAINTS TO the Press Ombudsman’s office rose by more than a third in the first half of this year.
Complaints that fell within the office’s remit rose from 91 in the first six months of 2008 to 123 in the first half of 2009, according to Press Ombudsman Prof John Horgan.
“The statistics for the first six months of 2009 point to a much greater awareness and understanding of the office, whose usefulness and efficiency is becoming increasingly apparent both to the reading public and the publishing industry,” he said.
The statistics show a rise in the number of complaints successfully conciliated between the Press Ombudsman and the editor of a publication, and an increase in the number of cases where he had decided that sufficient remedial action had already been taken by the publication to resolve the complaint.
The most commonly cited grounds for complaint fell under the headings Truth and Accuracy, Privacy, and Fairness and Honesty, he said. He said members of the public directly affected by a possible breach of the Press Council’s code of practice, which is published on its website, can make a complaint to the Press Ombudsman free of charge.
The ombudsman can refer a case to the Press Council if he considers it of sufficient seriousness. A dissatisfied complainant can appeal a decision of the ombudsman to the Press Council.
*Contact the council at www.presscouncil.ieand ombudsman at www.pressombudsman.ie, or telephone 1890-208080.