O’Farrell and the Irish Examiner ... decision by the Press Council of Ireland

The following is the text of the Press Ombudsman’s ruling of November 14, 2008 which decided that sufficient remedial action was offered by the Irish Examiner in response to a complaint by Mr Robert O’Farrell.

COMPLAINT

Mr O’Farrell complained that an article published in the Irish Examiner of February 1, 2008 that reported that an MRSA Awareness Group was planning to take legal action against the HSE, and which was combined with a report of a separate event — an inquest into the death of his father — was misleading and therefore a breach of Principle 1 of the Code of Practice (Truth and Accuracy). Mr O’Farrell complained that the article conveyed the impression that his family were among those threatening legal action against the HSE, whereas the complainant and his family were not among those threatening legal action as they had been entirely satisfied with the treatment their father had received, and had stated this at the inquest.