On 2/12/05 I sent the following complaint to the
Press Complaints Commission Dear Sir or Madam
I am writing to complain about the following publication: Timesonline
On the date of:July 14 2005
The Headline was: CCTV pictures show London bus bomber
My complaint details are as follows:
I believe the following section of the code has been breached by the Times.
Accuracy
i) The Press must take care not to publish inaccurate, misleading or distorted information, including pictures.
ii) A significant inaccuracy, mis-leading statement or distortion once recognised must be corrected, promptly and with due prominence, and - where appropriate - an apology published.
When they state the following:
Hasib Hussain, an 18-year-old from Leeds, is shown in a CCTV image mounting the stairs at Luton station before taking the 7.40am train to King's Cross.
This information is incorrect and misleading as no 7.40 train left Luton Station that morning and this information is readily available from Thameslink. In fact, no train left Luton thameslink after 7.40 that could have reached Kings X in time for these young men to board the underground trains.
The link to the article is: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,22989-1693797,00.html
Yours Sincerely
Bridget Dunne
Source: Complaint to the PCC
Today, 7/2/06, 7 months after the events in London on 7/7/05, I received the following reply:
Their decision was as follows:
Press Complaints Commission
Commission's decision in the case of Dunne v The Times
The Commission noted the complainant's contention that the article was wrong in stating that the 7 July bombers took a train from Luton station at 0740. However, there appeared to be no suggestion that the substance of the article was incorrect and no complaint from anyone connected to Hasib Hussain had been received to the effect that any photographs published by the Times were not, in fact, of him. The Commission did not consider that any very minor inaccuracy with regard to when the train left Luton was so significant as to mislead readers or to warrant correction under the terms of the Code. Ultimately, it did consider the Code to have been breached by the article at all.
Just to remind myself of the PCC's code of conduct
Accuracy
i) The Press must take care not to publish inaccurate, misleading or distorted information, including pictures.
ii) A significant inaccuracy, mis-leading statement or distortion once recognised must be corrected, promptly and with due prominence, and - where appropriate - an apology published.
So when the PCC say:
The Commission did not consider that any very minor inaccuracy with regard to when the train left Luton was so significant as to mislead readers or to warrant correction under the terms of the Code. Ultimately, it did consider the Code to have been breached by the article at all.
I can only assume that the fact that Hasib Hussain could not have got onto a train at 7.40, to then be seen in London at 8.26, is just a 'minor inaccuracy'.
It was so insignificant, according to the PCC, as to not warrant correction under the terms of the code.
Simple things like facts now appear to be irrelevant in this 'stage-managed' world we inhabit.
