Resolution Statement 00872-15 A woman v The Mail on Sunday

Resolution Statement 00872-15 A woman v The Mail on Sunday 

Summary of complaint

1. A woman complained to the Independent Press Standards Organisation that The Mail on Sunday had breached Clause 1 (Accuracy) and Clause 3 (Privacy) of the Editors’ Code of Practice in an article published on 22 February 2015. 

2. The complainant expressed concern that the newspaper had inaccurately reported that she was the partner of the man at the centre of the story, and had published her photograph, which it had taken from her private Facebook profile, without her consent. 

3. The newspaper said the article had not named the complainant and its enquiries had led it to conclude that the complainant was the man’s partner. As a result of the complaint, it pixelated the complainant’s image in the online article.

Relevant Code Provisions

4. Clause 1 (Accuracy) 

i) The Press must take care not to publish inaccurate, misleading or distorted information, including pictures. 

ii) A significant inaccuracy, misleading statement or distortion once recognised must be corrected, promptly and with due prominence, and - where appropriate - an apology published. In cases involving the Regulator, prominence should be agreed with the Regulator in advance. 

Clause 3 (Privacy) 

i) Everyone is entitled to respect for his or her private and family life, home, health and correspondence, including digital communications. 

ii) Editors will be expected to justify intrusions into any individual's private life without consent. Account will be taken of the complainant's own public disclosures of information. 

Mediated outcome

5. The complaint was not resolved through direct correspondence between the parties. IPSO therefore instigated an investigation into the matter. 

6. The newspaper offered to pay the complainant for the use of her photograph. 

7. The complainant accepted the newspaper’s offer as a resolution to her complaint. 

8. As the complaint was successfully mediated, the Complaints Committee did not make a determination as to whether there had been any breach of the Code. 

Date complaint received: 22/02/2015 

Date complaint concluded by IPSO: 16/04/2015