Resolution Statement: Complaint 03927-15 Malcherczyk v The Hinckley Times

Resolution Statement: Complaint 03927-15 Malcherczyk v The Hinckley Times 

Summary of complaint

1. Caroline Malcherczyk, acting on behalf of First Steps Playgroup, complained to the Independent Press Standards Organisation that the Hinckley Times had breached Clause 1 (Accuracy) of the Editors’ Code of Practice in an article headlined “Changes needed at playgroup”, published on 14 May 2015. 

2. The complainant said that the newspaper had inaccurately reported that Ofsted had found that the playgroup’s venue “was not appropriate and did not meet legal requirements for early years settings”. She said she had raised her concern directly with the newspaper. It had published a follow-up article, which included an apology for the error, but it had not published the letter provided by the playgroup’s manager, or any letters of support submitted by parents.  

3. The newspaper said the inaccuracy was published as a consequence of a misreading of the Ofsted report. It said the inaccuracy was regrettable, but it had taken sufficient steps to rectify the error. It had published a positive follow-up story, which was longer than the original, in a prominent position on page two. This article corrected the inaccuracy and included an apology.  

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. 

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 said it would be happy to publish the letter it had received from a parent, and an article on the playgroup’s forthcoming Father’s Day event, as requested by the complainant. 

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: 01/06/2015

Date complaint concluded by IPSO: 23/06/2015