Press Ombudsman receives 370 complaints in first year

At least one complaint was made to the press watchdog every day in its first year, it was revealed today.

The Press Council and Ombudsman Professor John Horgan handled 372 complaints from disgruntled readers, with just 13 upheld.

Of the total number received, 81 were not processed while another 45 were not dealt with as they focused on publications that were not members of the Press Council.

And of the remaining 246, 113 were not followed up beyond a preliminary hearing as the complainants did not pursue it in the time allowed.

Professor Horgan said readers should be satisfied that complaints will be examined.

“The public as a whole will benefit from the knowledge that serious complaints are taken seriously, and that they can increasingly rely on their print media for relevant, useful and reliable information about the world in which they live,” he said.

The majority of the complaints (59%) dealt with a breach in the code of practice for newspapers and periodicals.

Just over 70% of formal complaints concluded by the office were decided by the Press Ombudsman, while a quarter were resolved between his office and the offending newspaper.

Professor Thomas Mitchell, Press Council chairman, stressed the independence of the system.

“Over the past year we have had some robust exchanges with members and what diplomats like to call frank discussions and we have learned from these, but no publication has sought to influence improperly the process of the Office of the Press Ombudsman or of the Press Council.”

He said the Press Council eagerly awaited the passage of the Defamation Bill, currently before the Oireachtas.

The Press Council and Office of the Press Ombudsman was set up in January last year.