Resolution Statement 16654-17 March v The Mail on Sunday

Decision: Resolved - IPSO mediation

Resolution Statement 16654-17 March v The Mail on Sunday

Summary of Complaint

1. Bridget March complained to the Independent Press Standards Organisation, that The Mail on Sunday breached Clause 2 (Privacy) in an article headlined, “The terror law chief and the ‘cover-up’ that could explode UK’s biggest bomb trial” published on 5 March 2017.

2. The article reported on concerns regarding the disclosure of evidence in a high profile criminal trial. The complainant’s full name had been appeared on an image of a “restricted” document, which recorded her attendance at a case conference meeting which took place before the trial.

3. The complainant said that her profession was private information, therefore the publication of her full name in the article compromised her privacy and safety.

4. The newspaper said that the document had been disclosed in public court proceedings and noted that the article did not report the complainant’s profession. The newspaper apologised for giving the complainant any cause for concern and removed her name from the image in the article.

Relevant Code provisions

Clause 2 (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.

iii) It is unacceptable to photograph individuals, without their consent, in public or private places where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy.

Mediated outcome

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

9. Following IPSO’s intervention, the newspaper offered to write a private letter of apology to the complainant.

10. The complainant said that this resolved the matter to her satisfaction.

11. 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: 04/07/2017
Date complaint concluded by IPSO: 29/09/2017  

Back to ruling listing