Date of complaint: July 19, 2023
Date of adjudication: August 24, 2023
Date complaint accepted: July 27, 2023
Outcome:Complaint upheld. Breach of Clauses 2.1 and 2.2. Publisher to publish a notice statement and link to full adjudication.
Summary of Complaint
1.1. A complaint was made by Laura Hitchcock (“the Complainant”), editor of The BV Magazine, about the potential breach of Standards Code clauses 2.1 and 2.2 – Attribution & Plagiarism. The BV Magazine had published an article on 6 July 2023 titled Child Okeford’s most famous resident celebrates his 75th birthday, which was also published on its website on 9 July 2023.
1.2. The Complainant later found that the article’s content had been reproduced with only minor editorial amendments on 12 July 2023 in a since deleted article in Dorset Eye (“the Publisher”) where it was titled Dorset’s most famous puppet turns seventy five. A link to this article was also shared in a post on Dorset Eye’s Facebook page on 12 July 2023 and has since been deleted.
1.3. The complaint is assessed against the Impress Standards Code, the relevant clauses are:
2.1. Publishers must take all reasonable steps to identify and credit the originator of any third-party content.
2.2. Publishers must correct any failure to credit the originator of any third-party content with equal prominence at the earliest opportunity.
Date of complaint: May 19, 2023
Date of adjudication: August 23, 2023
Date complaint accepted: June 15, 2023
Outcome:Complaint dismissed. No breach of Code.
Summary of Complaint
1.1. A complaint was made by Mr Bob Seely (“the Complainant”) about the potential breach of Impress Standards Code Clause 4.1 (Discrimination) in a letter written by a member of the public and published in IW Observer (“The Publisher”) on 31 March 2023 with the headline “Is our MP, OK?”.
1.2. The Complainant is a directly affected party who is the Member of Parliament for the Isle of Wight. The letter complained of appeared in the ‘Island Soapbox’ column, which is a regular feature of IW Observer in which readers are invited to send their letters to the editor expressing opinions on topics of public interest. The letter complained of was attributed to T Smith of Freshwater, Isle of Wight.
1.3. The Complaint is assessed against the Impress Standards Code. The relevant clause is:
Clause 4.1 – Publishers must not make prejudicial or derogatory reference to anybody based on the following characteristics:
(c) Health
Date of complaint: February 17, 2023
Date of adjudication: May 2, 2023
Date complaint accepted: February 23, 2023
Outcome:Complaint upheld. Breach of Clauses 3.2 and 6.2. Publisher to remove a video and publish a short clarifying statement.
Summary of complaint
1.1. The Complainant is a lawyer (“the Complainant”) seeking either the removal of a video featured in a published article or the article in full, alleging a breach of Impress Standards Code Clauses 3 (Children) and 6 (Justice). The Complainant legally represents one of the subjects of the article, a young person involved in an incident occurring at a (…) in Harrogate on (…). The Complainant has confirmed to Impress that he is acting as an agent on behalf of the affected party and has been instructed by the young person’s parent to submit a complaint to Impress.
1.2. The Respondent is The Stray Ferret (“the Publisher”), a news website covering topics such as politics, business, health, and crime, which has been regulated by Impress since 17 March 2020.
1.3. The complaint concerns an article that first appeared in The Stray Ferret on 9 February 2023 with the headline Shocking video shows teenagers attacking police in Harrogate (…). A link to the article is also featured in a post published on the Publisher’s Facebook page on 10 February 2023.
1.4. The complaint is assessed against the 2020 version of the Impress Standards Code, which was the current version at the time the article appeared. The relevant clauses are:
Clause 3.2 – Except where there is an exceptional public interest, publishers must not identify a child under the age of 16 years without the consent of the child or a responsible adult unless this is relevant to the story and not detrimental to the safety and wellbeing of the child.
Clause 6.2 – Publishers must not directly or indirectly identify persons under the age of 18 who are or have been involved in criminal or family proceedings, except as permitted by law.
Date of complaint: December 20, 2021
Date of adjudication: April 22, 2022
Date complaint accepted: January 25, 2022
Outcome:Complaint upheld. Breach of Clause 1.1. Publisher to publish a clarifying statement alongside the original article.
Summary of Complaint
1.1. The Complainant is Michelle Edwards (“the Complainant”), a freelance journalist and directly affected party, who has written several pieces for the Publisher as part of a longstanding column called ‘Life on the Estate’. The Complainant is seeking to ensure the accuracy of a published article, which she had originally submitted to the Publisher for publication.
1.2. The Respondent is Waltham Forest Echo (“the Publisher”), an independent print and online community newspaper that has been regulated by IMPRESS since 14 July 2016.
1.3. The complaint concerns the accuracy of an article that first appeared in the October 2021 issue (no. 79) of Waltham Forest Echo, with the headline “All Along the Watchtower”. The article was subsequently published online on 23 October 2021.
1.4. The complaint is assessed against Clause 1 of the IMPRESS Standards Code
Date of complaint: August 6, 2021
Date of adjudication: November 23, 2021
Date complaint accepted: September 23, 2021
Outcome:Complaint dismissed. No breach of Code.
Summary of Complaint
1.1. The Complainant is the former Chair of The Vegan Society, Robb Masters (“the Complainant”), a directly affected party seeking to ensure the accuracy of a published article.
1.2. The Respondent is Plant Based News (“the Publisher”), a news website covering topics such as nutrition, health, the environment and veganism, that has been regulated by IMPRESS since 22 March 2019.
1.3. The complaint concerns the accuracy of an article that first appeared on Plant Based News on 5 August 2021 with the headline, ‘Everything You Need To Know About The Vegan Society Controversy’.
1.4. The complaint is assessed against the IMPRESS Standards Code, the relevant clauses are:
Clause 1.1 Publishers must take all reasonable steps to ensure accuracy.
Clause 1.4 Whilst free to be partisan, publishers must not misrepresent or distort the facts.
Date of complaint: April 8, 2021
Date of adjudication: July 20, 2021
Date complaint accepted: May 21, 2021
Outcome:Complaint dismissed. No breach of Code.
Summary of Complaint
1.1. The Complainant, the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), is a directly affected party (“the Complainant”) seeking to ensure the accuracy of published information.
1.2. The Respondent is DeSmog UK Ltd, a news website that publishes news about the environment and energy debate in Britain, that has been regulated by IMPRESS since 21 February 2018.
1.3. The complaint concerns the accuracy of an article that first appeared on DeSmog on 27 November 2020, with the headline, ‘Meet The Anti-Regulation Groups Influencing Post-Brexit Trade Policy’.
1.4. The complaint is assessed against the IMPRESS Standards Code, the relevant clauses are:
Clause 1.1 Publishers must take all reasonable steps to ensure accuracy.
Clause 1.2 Publishers must correct any significant inaccuracy with due prominence, which should normally be equal prominence, at the earliest opportunity.
Clause 1.4 Whilst free to be partisan, publishers must not misrepresent or distort the facts.
Date of complaint: March 23, 2021
Date of adjudication: May 14, 2021
Date complaint accepted: March 30, 2021
Outcome:Complaint upheld. Breach of Clause 1. Publisher to publish correction alongside the original article.
Summary of Complaint
1.1. The Complainant is Graham Hindson (“the Complainant”), a third party seeking to ensure the accuracy of published information. The Complainant has confirmed to IMPRESS that he is not an affected party or the representative of an affected party.
1.2. The Respondent is The SKWAWKBOX, a news website covering current affairs that has been regulated by IMPRESS since 1 October 2017.
1.3. The complaint concerns the accuracy of an article that first appeared on The SKWAWKBOX on 22 February 2021 with the headline, “Video: Jeremy Corbyn shows Starmer how it’s done – telling Johnson to sack Hancock and end scandal of NHS privatisation”.
1.4. The complaint is assessed against the IMPRESS Standards Code, the relevant clauses are:
Clause 1 (Accuracy)
1.4. Whilst free to be partisan, Publishers must not misrepresent facts or distort the facts.
Date of complaint: January 4, 2021
Date of adjudication: March 8, 2023
Date complaint accepted: February 4, 2021
Outcome:Complaint dismissed. No breach.
Summary of Complaint
1.1. The Complainant is Alan Cheesman (“the Complainant”), a directly affected party seeking to ensure the accuracy of published information. The Complainant was a Councillor and the Chair of Normandy Parish Council at the time of publication.
1.2. The Respondent is The Guildford Dragon, a news website covering local affairs that has been regulated by IMPRESS since 2 December 2017.
1.3. The complaint concerns the accuracy of an article that first appeared on The Guildford Dragon on 31 December 2020 with the headline, “Normandy Parish Council Refuses to Disclose Failed Audit Details”.
1.4. The complaint is assessed against the IMPRESS Standards Code, the relevant clauses are:
Clause 1 (Accuracy)
1.2. Publishers must correct any significant inaccuracy with due prominence, which should normally be equal prominence, at the earliest opportunity.
1.4. Whilst free to be partisan, Publishers must not misrepresent facts or distort the facts.
Date of complaint: October 9, 2020
Date of adjudication: December 10, 2020
Date complaint accepted: November 13, 2020
Outcome:Complaint dismissed. No breach.
Summary of Complaint
1.1. The Complainant is Andrew Martin (“the Complainant”), a directly affected party seeking to ensure the accuracy of published information.
1.2. The Respondent is Cranfield and Marston Vale Chronicle, which publishes online, which covers local news, and has been regulated by IMPRESS since 23 January 2019.
1.3. The complaint concerns the accuracy of an article that first appeared online on Cranfield and Marston Vale Chronicle on 15 June 2020 with the headline, “Bedfordshire Police and Crime Panel: Commissioner’s complaint response”.
1.4. The complaint is assessed against the IMPRESS Standards Code, the relevant clauses are:
Clause 1 (Accuracy)
1.1. Publishers must take all reasonable steps to ensure accuracy.
1.2. Publishers must correct any significant inaccuracy with due
prominence, which should normally be equal prominence, at the
earliest opportunity.
Date of complaint: October 9, 2020
Date of adjudication: December 10, 2020
Date complaint accepted: November 13, 2020
Outcome:Complaint dismissed. No breach.
Summary of Complaint
1.1.The Complainant is Andrew Martin (“the Complainant”), a directly affected party seeking to ensure the accuracy of published information.
1.2.The Respondent is Progress Publishing Ltd, which publishes online as Bedford Independent, which covers local news, and has been regulated by IMPRESS since 5 November 2018.
1.3.The complaint concerns the accuracy of an article that first appeared online on Bedford Independent on 16 June 2020 with the headline, “Bedfordshire’s PCC ‘beyond disappointed’ at complaint allegations”.
1.4.The complaint is assessed against the IMPRESS Standards Code, the relevant clauses are:
Clause 1 (Accuracy)
1.1. Publishers must take all reasonable steps to ensure accuracy.
1.2. Publishers must correct any significant inaccuracy with due prominence, which should normally be equal prominence, at the earliest opportunity.
Date of complaint: September 14, 2020
Date of adjudication: November 13, 2020
Date complaint accepted: September 23, 2020
Outcome:Complaint upheld. Breach of Clause 1. Publisher to publish a homepage notice statement and link to full adjudication
Summary of Complaint
1.1. The Complainant is Joseph Venable (“the Complainant”), a third party seeking to ensure the accuracy of published information. He has confirmed to IMPRESS that he is not an affected party or the representative of an affected party.
1.2. The Respondent is The SKWAWKBOX, a news website covering current affairs that has been regulated by IMPRESS since 1 October 2017.
1.3. The complaint concerns the accuracy of an article that first appeared on The SKWAWKBOX on 13 September 2020 with the headline, “Keir Starmer’s record so far in a nutshell makes the bleakest reading”.
1.4. The complaint is assessed against the IMPRESS Standards Code, the relevant clauses are:
Clause 1 (Accuracy)
1.3. Publishers must/always distinguish clearly between statements of fact, conjecture and opinion.
1.4. Whilst free to be partisan, Publishers must not misrepresent facts or distort the facts.
Date of complaint: July 20, 2020
Date of adjudication: September 14, 2020
Date complaint accepted: July 29, 2020
Outcome:Complaint dismissed. No breach.
Summary of Complaint
1.1. The Complainant is Peter Lilley (“the Complainant”), a third party seeking to ensure the accuracy of published information. He has confirmed to IMPRESS that he is not an affected party or the representative of an affected party.
1.2. The Respondent is The Stray Ferret Ltd, which publishes online as The Stray Ferret, which covers local news, that has been regulated by IMPRESS since 17 March 2020.
1.3. The complaint concerns the accuracy of an article that first appeared online on The Stray Ferret on 25 April 2020 with the headline, “COLUMN: The art in Harrogate will help rebuild lives after coronavirus”.
1.4. The complaint is assessed against the IMPRESS Standards Code, the relevant clauses are:
Clause 1 (Accuracy)
1.2. Publishers must correct any significant inaccuracy with due prominence, which should normally be equal prominence, at the earliest opportunity.
1.4. Whilst free to be partisan, Publishers must not misrepresent facts or distort the facts.
Date of complaint: June 1, 2020
Date of adjudication: September 8, 2020
Date complaint accepted: August 6, 2020
Outcome:Complaint dismissed. No breach.
Summary of Complaint
1.1. The Complainant is Robert A. Brown (“the Complainant”), a third party seeking to ensure the accuracy of published information. He has confirmed to IMPRESS that he is not an affected party or the representative of an affected party.
1.2. The Respondent is The Ferret Media Ltd, which publishes online as The Ferret, and is an investigative journalism platform co-operative for Scotland and beyond, that has been regulated by IMPRESS since 16 June 2016.
1.3. The complaint concerns an article that first appeared in The Ferret (online) on 9 April 2020 with the headline, “Does Vitamin D help to fight off Covid-19?”, under the collective category of an article series titled, “Fact check: debunking myths about coronavirus”.
1.4. The complaint is assessed against the IMPRESS Standards Code, the relevant clauses are:
Clause 1 (Accuracy)
1.1. Publishers must take all reasonable steps to ensure accuracy.
1.4. Whilst free to be partisan, publishers must not misrepresent or distort the facts.
Date of complaint: March 26, 2020
Date of adjudication: June 29, 2020
Date complaint accepted: May 18, 2020
Outcome:Complaint dismissed. No breach.
Summary of Complaint
1.1. The Complainant is Dermot Hudson, chairman of the UK Korean Friendship Association (KFA) complaining on behalf of the KFA (“the Complainant”), about the accuracy of published information.
1.2. The Respondent is The Ferret Media Ltd, which publishes online as The Ferret, and is an investigative journalism platform co-operative for Scotland and beyond, that has been regulated by IMPRESS since 16 June 2016.
1.3. The complaint concerns the accuracy of an article that first appeared online on The Ferret on 4 March 2020 with the headline, “The Western friends of North Korea”.
1.4. The complaint is assessed against the IMPRESS Standards Code, the relevant clauses are:
Clause 1 (Accuracy)
1.1. Publishers must take all reasonable steps to ensure accuracy.
1.2. Publishers must correct any significant inaccuracy with due prominence, which should normally be equal prominence, at the earliest opportunity.
1.4. Whilst free to be partisan, Publishers must not misrepresent facts or distort the facts.
Date of complaint: January 9, 2020
Date of adjudication: March 24, 2020
Date complaint accepted: January 19, 2020
Outcome:Complaint not accepted, regulatory scheme part 4.7.
Summary of Complaint
1.1. The Complainant is Roman Solomatenko, a third-party seeking to ensure the accuracy of published information. He confirmed to IMPRESS that he is not an affected party or the representative of an affected party.
1.2. The Respondent is BellingCat, an investigative journalism platform covering international affairs, that has been regulated by IMPRESS since 15 May 2017.
1.3. The complaint concerned an article that first appeared in BellingCat on 2 January 2020 with the headline, “Dispatches From Asgardsrei: Ukraine’s Annual Neo-Nazi Music Festival”.
Date of complaint: December 19, 2019
Date of adjudication: February 10, 2020
Date complaint accepted: January 7, 2020
Outcome:Complaint upheld. Breach of Clauses 1.2 and 1.4. Publisher to publish correction and full adjudication
Summary of Complaint
1.1. The Complainant is Marc Harris, a third-party seeking to ensure the accuracy of published information. He has confirmed to IMPRESS that he is not an affected party or the representative of an affected party.
1.2. The Respondent is The SKWAWKBOX, a news website covering current affairs that has been regulated by IMPRESS since 1 October 2017.
1.3. The complaint concerns an article that first appeared in The SKWAWKBOX on 9 December 2019 with the headline, “Exclusive: Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations head, leader of 35,000 Jewish citizens, endorses Corbyn”.
1.4. The complaint is assessed against the IMPRESS Standards Code, the relevant clauses are:
Clause 1 (Accuracy)
1.2. Publishers must correct any significant inaccuracy with due prominence, which should normally be equal prominence, at the earliest opportunity.
1.4. Whilst free to be partisan, publishers must not misrepresent or distort the facts.
Date of complaint: December 16, 2019
Date of adjudication: February 14, 2020
Date complaint accepted: January 10, 2020
Outcome:Complaint upheld. Breach of Clauses 1.1 and 1.2. Publisher to publish correction, apology and full adjudication.
Summary of Complaint
1.1. The Complainant is Gina Miller, a directly affected party seeking to ensure the accuracy of published information.
1.2. The Respondent is Unity News Network (online), a news website covering current affairs in the UK that has been regulated by IMPRESS since 9 April 2019.
1.3. The Complainant confirmed to IMPRESS that she had given permission for her representative to complain and provide evidence and information on her behalf.
1.4. The complaint concerns an article that first appeared in Unity News Network (online) on 14 December 2019 with the headline, “Gina Miller accused of new secret plot to HALT Brexit”.
1.5. The complaint is assessed against the IMPRESS Standards Code, the relevant clauses are:
Clause 1 (Accuracy)
1.1. Publishers must take all reasonable steps to ensure accuracy.
1.2. Publishers must correct any significant inaccuracy with due prominence, which should normally be equal prominence, at the earliest opportunity.
1.4. Whilst free to be partisan, publishers must not misrepresent or distort the facts.
Date of complaint: November 27, 2019
Date of adjudication: February 10, 2020
Date complaint accepted: January 7, 2020
Outcome:Complaint dismissed. No breach.
Summary of Complaint
1.1. The Complainant is Ashley Borges, a third-party seeking to ensure the accuracy of published information. He has confirmed to IMPRESS that he is not an affected party or the representative of an affected party.
1.2. The Respondent is Evolve Media Limited, which publishes online as Evolve Politics and is a news website covering current affairs that has been regulated by IMPRESS since 23 November 2017.
1.3. The complaint concerns the accuracy of a tweet posted by Evolve Politics on 27 November 2019. The @evolvepolitics Twitter account displays the Evolve Politics logo and strapline “truly independent news, media, option”.
1.4. The complaint is assessed against the IMPRESS Standards Code, the relevant clauses are:
Clause 1 (Accuracy)
1.1. Publishers must take all reasonable steps to ensure accuracy.
1.4. Whilst free to be partisan, publishers must not misrepresent or distort the facts.
Date of complaint: May 30, 2019
Date of adjudication: February 12, 2020
Date complaint accepted: November 7, 2019
Outcome:Complaint dismissed. No breach.
Summary of Complaint
1.1. The complaint is being made by Khayaal Theatre Company (“the Complainant”), a directly affected party of the alleged breach of the Code.
1.2. The Respondent is 5Pillars Media Ltd, which publishes online as 5PillarsUK and is a publication, focusing on British Muslim news, that has been regulated by IMPRESS since 05/04/18.
1.3. Legal representatives of the Khayaal Theatre Company made a request that the name of Mr Luqman Ali should not be disclosed in the Committee’s decision. The IMPRESS regulatory scheme sets out at 5.6 that it will take account of requests by a complainant to remain anonymous and to redact any personal information which may cause a further intrusion into privacy or cause harm or considerable distress to the complainant or a third party.
1.4. Mr Luqman Ali is the managing director of the Khayaal Theatre Company and closely associated with it. He is named in the article complained of. The initial complaint to the Publisher was made by Mr Ali and he engaged directly with the Publisher. Subsequently, the Khayaal Theatre Company instructed legal representatives to refer the complaint to IMPRESS on its behalf.
1.5. In considering the request for anonymity, the Committee agreed that it was impractical for it to reach an adjudication that did not identify Mr Ali. It is inevitable that the decision by the Khayaal Theatre Company to make this complaint will have involved Mr Ali, and that the investigation of this complaint may receive public scrutiny. To that extent, the Committee did not consider that any further intrusion into Mr Ali’s privacy or harm or distress would be caused to him by being named in this adjudication.
1.6. The complaint concerns an article that first appeared on 5PillarsUK on 29/05/19 with the headline, “NZF funded individuals linked to Israel and counter extremism”.
1.7. The complaint is assessed against the IMPRESS Standards Code, the relevant clauses are:
Clause 1 (Accuracy)
1.1. Publishers must take all reasonable steps to ensure accuracy.
1.4. Whilst free to be partisan, publishers must not misrepresent or distort the facts.
Clause 4 (Discrimination)
4.3. Publishers must not incite hatred against any group on the basis of that group’s age, disability, mental health, gender reassignment or identity, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation or another characteristic that makes that group vulnerable to discrimination.
Date of complaint: July 29, 2019
Date of adjudication: August 16, 2019
Date complaint accepted: July 31, 2019
Outcome:Complaint dismissed. No breach.
Summary of Complaint
1.1. The Complainant is Stuart Campbell, who describes himself as a third-party complaining about the inaccuracy of published information. The Complainant has said to IMPRESS that he is not a directly affected party and has no personal or business interest in the issues covered by the article. The complained about article makes several references to reporting by the Wings Over Scotland Blog (which is published by the Complainant) on the findings of opinion polls, although those references do not form the basis of the complaint. The Committee considers that the Complainant can be directly affected by the outcome of the complaint, and is not a disinterested third party, but nothing in the adjudication turns on that question.
1.2. The Respondent is The Ferret Media Ltd, which publishes online as The Ferret, and is an investigative journalism platform co-operative for Scotland and beyond, that has been regulated by IMPRESS since 16 June 2016.
1.3. The complaint concerns the accuracy of an article that first appeared online on The Ferret on 2 July 2019, with the headline “Claim of 82 per cent opposition to transgender self identification is Mostly False”.
1.4. The complaint is assessed against the IMPRESS Standards Code, the relevant clauses are:
Clause 1 (Accuracy):
1.2. Publishers must correct any significant inaccuracy with due prominence, which should normally be equal prominence, at the earliest opportunity.
1.4. Whilst free to be partisan, publishers must not misrepresent or distort the facts.
Date of complaint: May 24, 2019
Date of adjudication: July 15, 2019
Date complaint accepted: June 11, 2019
Outcome:Complaint dismissed. No breach.
Summary of Complaint
1.1. The Complainant is Chris Rodger, a third-party seeking to ensure the accuracy of published information. He has confirmed to IMPRESS that he is not a directly-affected party and has no personal or business interest in the issues covered by the article.
1.2. The Respondent is Brixton Media Limited, which publishes online and monthly in print, covering local news, that has been regulated by IMPRESS since 19 October 2016.
1.3. The complaint concerns the accuracy of an article that first appeared in the Brixton Bugle (Print) in their May 2019 Issue, and online on the Brixton Blog on 24 April 2019, with the headline “Bravo’s four-year battle to open Brixton launderette”.
1.4. The complaint is assessed against the IMPRESS Standards Code, the relevant clauses are:
Clause 1 (Accuracy)
1.1. Publishers must take all reasonable steps to ensure accuracy.
1.2. Publishers must correct any significant inaccuracy with due prominence, which should normally be equal prominence, at the earliest opportunity.
Date of complaint: March 12, 2019
Date of adjudication: May 3, 2019
Date complaint accepted: April 3, 2019
Outcome:Complaint dismissed. No breach.
Summary of complaint
1.1 The Complainant is Tom Watson MP, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, an individual directly affected by the alleged breach of the Code.
1.2 The Respondent is The SKWAWKBOX, a news website covering current affairs that has been regulated by IMPRESS since 1 October 2017.
1.3 The complaint concerns an article that first appeared in The SKWAWKBOX on 11 March 2019 with the headline “Watson’s party within party form should NOT be used to let him know what you think”.
1.4 The complaint is assessed against the IMPRESS Standards Code.
The relevant clauses are:
Clause 5 (Harassment)
5.1 Publishers must ensure that journalists do not engage in intimidation.
Clause 7 (Privacy)
7.1 Except where justified by the public interest, publishers must respect people’s reasonable expectation of privacy. Such an expectation may be determined by factors that include, but are not limited to, the following:
a) The nature of the information concerned, such as whether it relates to intimate, family, health or medical matters or personal finances;
b) The nature of the place concerned, such as a home, school or hospital;
c) How the information concerned was held or communicated, such as in private correspondence or a personal diary;
d) The relevant attributes of the person, such as their age, occupation or public profile; and
e) Whether the person had voluntarily courted publicity on a relevant aspect of their private life.
Date of complaint: November 6, 2018
Date of adjudication: February 13, 2019
Date complaint accepted: December 20, 2018
Outcome:Complaint upheld. Breach of Clauses 1.1 and 1.2. Publisher to publish the full adjudication.
Summary of complaint
1.1. The Complainant is Paul Hearst, a third-party seeking to ensure the accuracy of published information. He has confirmed to IMPRESS that he is not an affected party or the representative of an affected party.
1.2. The Respondent is Evolve Media Limited, a news website covering current affairs that has been regulated by IMPRESS since 23/11/2017.
1.3. The complaint concerns an article that first appeared in Evolve Politics on Saturday 3 November 2018 with the headline “EXCLUSIVE: Tory DWP Secretary Esther McVey ‘fails to declare official link to shady £20m Political Campaigning Firm’”.
1.4. The complaint is assessed against the IMPRESS Standards Code.
The relevant clauses are:
Clause 1 (Accuracy)
1.1. Publishers must take all reasonable steps to ensure accuracy.
1.2. Publishers must correct any significant inaccuracy with due prominence, which should normally be equal prominence, at the earliest opportunity.
1.3. Publishers must always distinguish clearly between statements of fact, conjecture and opinion.
1.4. Whilst free to be partisan, publishers must not misrepresent or distort the facts.
Date of complaint:
Date of adjudication: December 21, 2018
Date complaint accepted: October 17, 2018
Outcome:Complaint upheld in part. Breach of Clause 1.4. No breach of Clause 5.2. Publisher to publish correction along side the full adjudication.
Summary of complaint
1. The Complainant is Ms Moira McLaughlin, an individual directly affected by the alleged breach of the Code.
2. The Publisher is The SKWAWKBOX, a news website covering current affairs that has been regulated by IMPRESS since 1 October 2017.
3. The complaint concerns an article that first appeared in the SKWAWKBOX on 6 September 2018 with the headline “EXCL: TIMES’ STAR WITNESS FOR WIRRAL ‘MILITANT’ BULLYING STORY – WASN’T PRESENT”.
4. The complaint is assessed against the IMPRESS Standards Code.
The relevant clauses are:
Clause 1 (Accuracy)
1.4. Whilst free to be partisan, publishers mist not misrepresent or distort the facts.
Clause 5 (Harassment)
5.2. Except where justified by the public interest, publishers must ensure that journalists:
a) Do not engage in deception;
b) Always identify themselves as journalists and provide the name of their publication when making contact; and
c) Comply immediately with any reasonable request to desist from contacting, following or photographing a person.
Date of complaint: April 29, 2018
Date of adjudication: November 19, 2018
Date complaint accepted: September 3, 2018
Outcome:Complaint upheld in part. Breach of Clause 1.1. No breach of Clause 1.2 and 1.4. Publisher to publish the full adjudication.
Summary of Complaint
1.1. The Complainant is Wes Streeting, an individual directly affected by the alleged breach of the Code.
1.2. The Respondent is The SKWAWBOX, a news website covering current affairs that has been regulated by IMPRESS since 1 October 2017.
1.3. The complaint concerns the accuracy of an article that first appeared in the SKWAWKBOX on 20 April 2018 with the headline “STREETING ‘SHOUTS IN ABBOT’S FACE’, ARRANGES MARCH AGAINST ‘WINDRUSH CHILD’”.
1.4. The complaint is assessed against the IMPRESS Standards Code.
The relevant clauses are:
Clause 1 (Accuracy)
1.1. Publishers must take all reasonable steps to ensure accuracy.
1.2. Publishers must correct any significant inaccuracy with due prominence, which should normally be equal prominence, at the earliest opportunity.
1.4. Whilst free to be partisan, publishers must not misrepresent or distort the facts
Date of complaint: April 29, 2018
Date of adjudication: October 31, 2018
Date complaint accepted: September 26, 2018
Outcome:Complaint dismissed. No breach.
Summary of Complaint
1.1. The Complainant is Luke Smith, a third-party seeking to ensure the accuracy of published information. He has confirmed to IMPRESS that he is not an affected party or the representative of an affected party.
1.2. The Respondent is Evolve Media Limited, a news website covering current affairs that has been regulated by IMPRESS since 23/11/2017.
1.3. The complaint concerns an article that first appeared in the Evolve Politics on 26/03/2018 with the headline “The Jewish Voice Twitter Account is absolutely DESTROYING the media’s latest Corbyn anti-Semitism smear [TWEETS]”.
1.4. The complaint is assessed against the IMPRESS Standards Code.
The relevant clauses are:
Clause 1 (Accuracy)
1.2. Publishers must correct any significant inaccuracy with due prominence, which should normally be equal prominence, at the earliest opportunity.
1.4. Whilst free to be partisan, publishers must not misrepresent or distort the facts.
Date of complaint: May 18, 2018
Date of adjudication: August 28, 2018
Date complaint accepted: May 21, 2018
Outcome:Complaint dismissed. No breach.
Summary of Complaint
1.1 The Complainant is a person and directly affected by an alleged breach of the Code.
1.2 The Publisher is Byline Media, that has been regulated by IMPRESS since 14 September 2016.
1.3 The complaint is assessed against the IMPRESS Standards Code.
The relevant clauses are:
Clause 5 (Harassment)
5.1. Publishers must ensure that journalists do not engage in intimidation.
Clause 6 (Justice)
6.3. Publishers must preserve the anonymity of victims of sexual offences, except as permitted by law or with the express consent of the person.
Clause 7 (Privacy)
7.2. Except where justified by the public interest, publishers must take all reasonable steps not to exacerbate grief or distress through intrusive newsgathering or reporting.
Date of complaint: June 4, 2018
Date of adjudication: July 18, 2018
Date complaint accepted: June 4, 2018
Outcome:Complaint dismissed. No breach.
Summary of Complaint
1.1. The Complainant is Graham Hindson, a third party seeking to ensure the accuracy of published information. He has confirmed to IMPRESS that he is not an affected party or the representative of an affected party.
1.2. The Publisher is The SKWAWKBOX, a news website covering current affairs that has been regulated by IMPRESS since 1 October 2017.
1.3. The complaint concerns the accuracy of an article that first appeared on The SKWAWKBOX on Saturday 2 June 2018 with the headline “FCO: Johnson will not delete Babchenko murder tweet – even though he’s not dead”.
1.4. The complaint is assessed against the IMPRESS Standards Code.
The relevant clauses are:
Clause 1 (Accuracy)
1.1. Publishers must take all reasonable steps to ensure accuracy.
1.2. Publishers must correct any significant inaccuracy with due prominence, which should normally be equal prominence, at the earliest opportunity.
1.4. Whilst free to be partisan, publishers must not misrepresent or distort the facts.
Date of complaint: November 6, 2017
Date of adjudication: June 14, 2018
Date complaint accepted: April 25, 2018
Outcome:Complaint dismissed. No breach.
Summary of Complaint
1.1. The Complainants are Cllr David Owens and Cllr Robert John, individuals personally and directly affected by the alleged breach of the Code.
1.2. The Respondent is Llanelli Online, a news site covering local affairs that has been regulated by IMPRESS since 15 August 2017.
1.3. The complaint concerns the accuracy of an article that first appeared in Llanelli Online on 30 October 2017 with the headline “Pembrey and Burry Town Councillors sock it out in public”.
1.4. The complaint is assessed against the IMPRESS Standards Code.
The relevant clauses are:
Clause 1 (Accuracy)
1.1. Publishers must take all reasonable steps to ensure accuracy.
1.2. Publishers must correct any significant inaccuracy with due prominence, which should normally be equal prominence, at the earliest opportunity.
1.3 Publishers must always distinguish clearly between statements of fact, conjecture and opinion.
1.4. Whilst free to be partisan, publishers must not misrepresent or distort the facts.
Date of complaint: January 21, 2018
Date of adjudication: May 8, 2018
Date complaint accepted: February 14, 2018
Outcome:Complaint upheld in part. Breach of Clause 1.2. Publisher to publish a short homepage correction with a link to the full adjudication.
Summary of Complaint
1.1.The Complainant is Graham Hindson, a third party seeking to ensure the accuracy of published information. He has confirmed to IMPRESS that he is
not an affected party or the representative of an affected party.
1.2.The Publisher is The SKWAWKBOX, a news website covering current affairs, that has been regulated by IMPRESS since 1 October 2017.
1.3.The complaint concerns the accuracy of an article that first appeared on The SKWAWKBOX on 4 December 2017 with the headline “NHS thirty-six
THOUSAND nurses – over 11% – short but real picture far worse”.
1.4.The complaint is assessed against the IMPRESS Standards Code. The relevant clauses are:
Clause 1 (Accuracy):
1.1 Publishers must take all reasonable steps to ensure accuracy.
1.2 Publishers must correct any significant inaccuracy with due prominence, which
should normally be equal prominence, at the earliest opportunity.
1.4 Whilst free to be partisan, Publishers must not misrepresent or distort the facts.
Date of complaint: December 11, 2017
Date of adjudication: March 9, 2018
Date complaint accepted: January 19, 2018
Outcome:Complaint dismissed. No breach.
Summary of Complaint
1.1. The Complainant is Graham Hindson, a third party seeking to ensure the accuracy of published information. He has confirmed to IMPRESS that he is not an affected party or the representative of an affected party.
1.2. The Publisher is The SKWAWKBOX, a news website covering current affairs, that has been regulated by IMPRESS since 1 October 2017.
1.3. The complaint concerns the accuracy of an article that first appeared on The SKWAWKBOX on 5 January 2018 with the headline “Labour activist under further malicious attacks”.
1.4. The complaint is assessed against the IMPRESS Standards Code.
The relevant clauses are:
Clause 1 (Accuracy):
1.2 Publishers must correct any significant inaccuracy with due prominence, which should normally be equal prominence, at the earliest opportunity.
1.3 Publishers must always distinguish clearly between statements of fact, conjecture and opinion.
Date of complaint: January 10, 2018
Date of adjudication: March 5, 2018
Date complaint accepted: January 24, 2018
Outcome:Complaint Upheld in Part. Breach of Clause 1.4.
Summary of Complaint
1.1. The Complainant is Graham Hindson, a third party seeking to ensure the accuracy of published information. He has confirmed to IMPRESS that he is not an affected party or the representative of an affected party.
1.2. The Publisher is The Canary, a news website covering current affairs, that has been regulated by IMPRESS since 21 August 2017.
1.3. The complaint concerns the accuracy of an article that first appeared on The Canary on 19 December 2017 with the headline “A fracking company has been caught using false information to ‘sway’ a council vote in its favour”.
1.4. The complaint is assessed against the IMPRESS Standards Code.
The relevant clauses are:
Clause 1 (Accuracy):
1.2 Publishers must correct any significant inaccuracy with due prominence, which should normally be equal prominence.
1.4 Whilst free to be partisan, publishers must not misrepresent or distort the facts.
Date of complaint: November 29, 2017
Date of adjudication: March 1, 2018
Date complaint accepted: December 13, 2017
Outcome:Complaint dismissed. No breach.
Summary of Complaint
1.1. The Complainant is Graham Hindson, a third party seeking to ensure the accuracy of published information. He has confirmed to IMPRESS that he is not an affected party or the representative of an affected party.
1.2. The Publisher is The SKWAWKBOX, a news website covering current affairs, that has been regulated by IMPRESS since 1 October 2017.
1.3. The complaint concerns the accuracy of an article that first appeared on The SKWAWKBOX on 12 October 2017 with the headline “Tory #CutsKill 120,000 people”.
1.4. The complaint is assessed against the IMPRESS Standards Code.
The relevant clauses are:
Clause 1 (Accuracy):
1.1 Publishers must take all reasonable steps to ensure accuracy.
1.3 Publishers must always distinguish clearly between statements of fact, conjecture and opinion.
1.4 Whilst free to be partisan, publishers must not misrepresent or distort the facts.
Date of complaint: October 5, 2017
Date of adjudication: January 23, 2018
Date complaint accepted: November 7, 2017
Outcome:Complaint Upheld. Breach of Clauses 1.1 and 1.2. Publisher to publish a short homepage correction with a link to the full adjudication.
Summary of Complaint
1.1. The Complainant is Simon Just, a third party seeking to ensure the accuracy of published information. He has confirmed to IMPRESS that he is not an affected party or the representative of an affected party.
1.2. The Publisher is Byline, a news website covering current affairs, that has been regulated by IMPRESS since 14 September 2016.
1.3. The complaint concerns the accuracy of an article by Mark Watts (the Author) that first appeared on Byline on 4 October 2017 with the headline “Operation Conifer: Mike Veale ‘appalled by previous cover-ups over child sexual abuse”.
1.4. The complaint is assessed against the IMPRESS Standards Code.
The relevant clauses are:
Clause 1 (Accuracy):
1.1 Publishers must take all reasonable steps to ensure accuracy.
1.2 Publishers must correct any significant inaccuracy with due prominence, which should normally be equal prominence, at the earliest opportunity.
Date of complaint: October 13, 2017
Date of adjudication: December 15, 2017
Date complaint accepted: November 6, 2017
Outcome:Complaint Upheld. Breach of Clause 1.4. Publisher to publish a short homepage correction with a link to the full adjudication
Summary of Complaint
1.1. The Complainant is Christopher Grey, a third party seeking to ensure the accuracy of published information. He has confirmed to IMPRESS that he is not an affected party or the representative of an affected party.
1.2. The Publisher is The SKWAWKBOX, a news website covering current affairs, that has been regulated by IMPRESS since 1 October 2017.
1.3. The complaint concerns the accuracy of an article that first appeared on The SKWAWKBOX on 12 October 2017 with the headline “Penniless UC claimants pay 55p/min to call govt. Guess what millionaires pay”.
1.4. The complaint is assessed against the IMPRESS Standards Code.
The relevant clause is:
Clause 1 (Accuracy):
1.4 Whilst free to be partisan, publishers must not misrepresent or distort the facts.
Date of complaint: October 6, 2017
Date of adjudication: December 13, 2017
Date complaint accepted: November 2, 2017
Outcome:Complaint Upheld. Breach of Clauses 1.1, 1.2 and 1.4. Publisher to publish a short homepage correction with a link to the full adjudication.
Summary of Complaint
1.1. The Complainant is Jamie Thunder, a third party seeking to ensure the accuracy of published information. He has confirmed to IMPRESS that he is not an affected party or the representative of an affected party.
1.2. The Publisher is The Canary, a news website covering current affairs, that has been regulated by IMPRESS since 21 August 2017.
1.3. The complaint concerns the accuracy of an article and a tweet promoting it, that first appeared on The Canary at noon on 27 September 2017 with the headline “We need to talk about Laura Kuenssberg. She’s listed as a speaker at the Tory Party conference”.
1.4. IMPRESS was initially contacted by an additional 51 complainants who raised concerns about the article in question. Those complainants were directed to the Publisher’s own complaints procedure, in line with the IMPRESS Regulatory Scheme. Mr Thunder was the only complainant to complete the process of escalating his complaint to IMPRESS, following The Canary’s initial response to the complaint (reproduced in Section 3 below).
1.5.The complaint is assessed against the IMPRESS Standards Code.
The relevant clauses are:
Clause 1 (Accuracy):
1.2 Publishers must correct any significant inaccuracy with due prominence, which should normally be equal prominence, at the earliest opportunity.
1.4 Whilst free to be partisan, publishers must not misrepresent or distort the facts. Case Ref: 0087/2017 3
1.6.IMPRESS determined that the article should also be investigated under the following clause of the IMPRESS Standards Code: 1.1 Publishers must take all reasonable steps to ensure accuracy.
Date of complaint: October 23, 2017
Date of adjudication: December 1, 2017
Date complaint accepted: November 1, 2017
Outcome:Complaint Upheld in Part. Breach of Clause 1.3. Publisher to publish a short homepage clarification with a link to the full adjudication.
Summary of Complaint
1.1. The Complainant is Graham Hindson, a third party seeking to ensure accuracy of published information. He has confirmed to IMPRESS that he is not an affected party or the representative of an affected party.
1.2. The Publisher is THE SKWAWKBOX, a news website covering current affairs, that has been regulated by IMPRESS since 1 October 2017.
1.3. The complaint concerns the accuracy of an article that first appeared on THE SKWAWKBOX on 21 October 2017 with the headline “Reckless BBC publishes names and addresses of protestors”.
1.4. The complaint is assessed against the IMPRESS Standards Code.
The relevant clauses are:
Clause 1 (Accuracy):
1.1 Publishers must take all reasonable steps to ensure accuracy; and 1.3 Publishers must always distinguish clearly between statements of fact, conjecture and opinion.
Date of complaint: April 30, 2017
Date of adjudication: July 11, 2017
Date complaint accepted: May 5, 2017
Outcome:Complaint dismissed. No breach.
Summary of Complaint
1.1. The Complainant is Paul Trotman, a third party seeking to ensure accuracy of published information. He has confirmed to IMPRESS by e-mail dated 31 May 2017 that he is not an affected party or the representative of an affected party.
1.2. The Respondent is Caerphilly Observer, a news, sport and information website and free fortnightly printed newspaper covering Caerphilly County Borough in South Wales, that has been regulated by IMPRESS since July 2016.
1.3. The complaint concerns the accuracy of an article that first appeared in the Caerphilly Observer Online on 5 January 2017 with the headline “What is going on? The full story of the £2.5m council pay scandal”. The article was also published as a two-page spread in the print edition of the Caerphilly Observer.
1.4. The complaint is assessed against the Editors’ Code of Practice, which was the standards code adopted by IMPRESS at the time the article complained about was first published.
The relevant clauses are:
Clause 1: Accuracy
(i) The Press must take care not to publish inaccurate, misleading or distorted information or images, including headlines not supported by text, and Case Ref: 0055/2017 3
(ii) A significant inaccuracy, misleading statement or distortion must be corrected promptly and with due prominence, and – where appropriate – an apology published.
