Covid articles and social media campaigns drive 50% rise in Press Ombudsman complaints
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There was a nearly 50% increase in complaints to the Office of the Press Ombudsman last year, largely driven by coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The office considered a total of 527 complaints in 2021, compared to 347 complaints the previous year, with about 200 of last year’s complaints relating to coverage of the pandemic.
Two of the Covid-related complaints were upheld - both around matters of privacy - with five other complaints upheld in other matters.
Of note in the Covid-related complaints was the use of social media campaigns encouraging people to make complaints around specific articles.
Case officer Bernie Grogan notes in the Press Ombudsman's 2021 report, launched today, that "Common to the majority of complaints that were received about Covid-19 articles was that they were the subject of quite a vigorous Facebook campaign by an anonymous Facebook group.
"The Facebook group provided the text of complaints for submission to the Office in respect of a number of articles, and urged followers to submit a complaint to the Press Ombudsman.
"While there is no rule to say that complaints cannot be submitted in such a fashion, there is no benefit to such campaigns, since the Office has a long-established policy, when it receives multiple complaints about one article, to process all of the complaints by the establishment of a ‘lead’ complainant.
"Multiple complaints submitted via social media campaigns merely clog the efficient and effective operation of the complaints process."
Coverage in national newspapers drew a total of 275 complaints last year.
Chair of the Press Council Rory Montgomery, who took up the position in March this year, said he believed the press had "served Ireland very well in this crisis, at a time when the risks and downsides of over-reliance on social media are really visible.
“The pandemic has underlined the importance of objective, thorough reporting, and of well-informed expert comment and analysis."
The Office of the Press Ombudsman considers complaints about newspapers (print and online), magazines and some online-only publications. It is independent of both government and media.
Member media organisations observe the Press Council’s Code of Practice, which lists 11 principles that in combination, act as a set of standards for responsible publishing.
Decisions are published on the Press Council's website after the process completes, including a period where either party may appeal an initial decision.
Publishers are obliged to publish decisions that are upheld against them and may, if they wish, publish those that are not upheld.
All five of the most recent complaints against the Irish Examiner were not upheld (including three in 2021 and two so far this year).
An important feature of a number of these recent decisions was to uphold the distinction between opinion pieces and hard news stories, in other words that it is permissable for people to express strong opinions and have those opinions published, even where another person may strongly disagree with that opinion, or find it offensive.
Opinions expressed in such articles should be sincerely held, not motivated by malice and should be underpinned by personal experience and/or evidence.
They must also be clearly signalled for the reader as opinion pieces. In repeatedly defending complaints about such pieces in the last year, the has been able to demonstrate that these standards were applied.
The decisions can be read here:
Greyhound Action Ireland and the Irish Examiner, regarding a question-and-answer article with a greyhound breeder.
Mr Ken Byrne and the Irish Examiner, regarding a news article on Covid numbers.
A Person and the Irish Examiner, regarding an opinion article on conversion therapy and hormone-based treatments.
Mr Hermann Kelly and the Irish Examiner, regarding an opinion piece on the far right and anti-immigrant rhetoric.
An Author and the Irish Examiner, regarding a book review.