Know Your Rights: Press Ombudsman

Question

I want to complain about an article that was in a national newspaper recently. How can I do this?

Answer

The Office of the Press Ombudsman deals with complaints against publications that are members of the Press Council of Ireland. This is done free of charge without having to go to court. You can make a complaint about any article that personally affects you. You can also complain about the behaviour of a journalist. The article or the behaviour must be in breach of the professional standards and behaviours set out in the Code of Practice for Newspapers and Periodicals.

You must first make your complaint to the editor of the newspaper or magazine which published the article, explaining why you think the Code has been breached. If you don’t get a response or you are not happy with the response, you can complain to the Office of the Press Ombudsman within three months of the publication of the article or the behaviour of the journalist. The complaint must be made in writing by email or post and must:

·         Show how you are personally affected

·         Indicate which parts of the code of practice have been breached and why

·         Include a dated copy of the article

·         Include copies of correspondence between you and the editor

The Office will first seek to have your complaint resolved through conciliation and/or mediation. This usually takes four to six weeks. If the matter is referred to the Press Ombudsman for a decision, it may take a further two weeks.

If the decision is in your favour, the newspaper or magazine must publish the decision unless it is appealed. If you are not happy with the decision, you can appeal to the Press Council of Ireland within two weeks.

You can get detailed information on how to make a complaint to the Press Ombudsman at citizensinformation.ie or from the Office of the Press Ombudsman.

Further information is also available from the Citizens Information Service below.

Know Your Rights has been compiled by Boyle Citizens Information Centre which provides a free and confidential service to the public. Tel: 0761 07 6330

Address: Elphin Street, Boyle, Co. Roscommon

Information is also available online at citizensinformation.ie and from the Citizens Information Phone Service - 0761 07 4000