Local Newspaper 'Sanctioned' by regulators after investigation....

Head offices of the Gazette Teesside & Middlesbrough located at Hudson Quay

IPSO, the newspaper regulator took action against The Gazette (North East, Middlesbrough & Teesside), also operating under the name "Teesside Live" earlier this year after serious breaches in its reporting of an apparent "sensitive case" were found.

26th November 2024

The Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) has reportedly upheld a complaint against The Gazette (North East, Middlesbrough & Teesside) for allegedly breaching multiple clauses of the Editors' Code of Practice.

In a ruling made in June of this year, The decision by the IPSO to sanction the Teesside Gazette followed an article published by the newspaper & later published to social media back in late 2023 which reported on a court case involving the complainant, a woman who then brought the case to the regulators. .

Its claimed the complainant alleged numerous breaches of the Editors Code of Practice by Teesside Gazette, which included Misrepresentation of statements as fact, including the use of misleading terms used to describe her behavior, and what's claimed to have been "the inclusion of an edited photograph".

The article reportedly included the Victims street address...

Teesside Gazette reportedly included the publication of her street-level address in the article, as well as other personal details, which regulators claimed amounted to a lack of sensitivity in its reporting, the regulators were also said to have taken a dim view into Teesside Gazettes undertaking of the article, when it's claimed the newspaper 'Indirectly identified the complainant as a victim of sexual assault', as well as claims the newspaper made a series of ageist and misogynistic references.

Despite efforts by the complainant to resolve the issue directly with the publishers, The regulators ruled that Teesside Gazette "failed to act promptly", which led to the victim escalating the matter to IPSO.

IPSO’s Findings

The IPSO’s Complaints Committee found in June this year that The Gazette Teesside & Middlesbrough was guilty of breaching Clause 1 of inaccurately presenting the victim's comment as a statement of fact, and failing to correct the mistake promptly. The article was also found to have failed in distinguishing between fact and opinion.

Two out of the four allegations against the newspaper were upheld by the regulator, they included

1. Inaccurate Reporting: The Gazette presented a victim's statement in a manner that implied it was factual rather than an opinion, violating Clause 1(iv).

   
   

2. Delayed Corrections: The publication did not issue an apology or correction promptly, taking over 50 days to amend the article and its accompanying Facebook post—a clear breach of Clause 1(ii).

A further allegation, relating to an alleged "breach of privacy" was not upheld by the regulator.

IPSO ordered that The Gazette amend the article, issue a prominent correction, as well as publishing a formal apology. Its claimed the Committee heavily criticized the publication's delayed response, emphasizing the importance of swift remedial action to uphold journalistic standards.

It shows the firms "Desperate reporting" in a bid to save its failing business model...

Teesside Gazette, alongside other newspaper outlets such as "The Hartlepool Mail", all operating on Teesside have reportedly been suffering continued readership decline since the introduction of a number of social media offshoot websites operated by Citizen Journalists.

Its claimed the increasing squeeze on the market has led to a number of so called "mainstream" newspapers having to drastically reduce their publications, leading to many of its journalists pushing the boundaries of reports being published, many of those being published online, with the implications of the most recent ruling likley to have further devestating consequenses for the parent companies supporting publishers such as Teesside Gazette, as they become rapidly ousted from the market following the increase of digital publications from independent sources, with The Teesside Gazette notably seeing a number of its editors 'come and go' since 2022..

The rulings also said to serve as a stark reminder of the obligations media outlets have under the Editors' Code of Practice. Journalists must ensure accuracy, protect individuals’ privacy, and exercise discretion in sensitive cases, particularly those involving victims of sexual assault. Whilst the IPSO acknowledged the role of the press in providing public insights into legal proceedings, it stressed that such reporting must be balanced with ethical considerations and the rights of individuals involved.