Monday 19 October 2009

Jan Moir: 'PCC complaints top 20,000'

Jan Moir’s Daily Mail column on the death of Boyzone singer Stephen Gately has now become the most complained about story in the history of the Press Complaints Commission, with more than 21,000 complaints, Press Gazette reports today.
PG says the complaints are likely to be dealt with under clause five of the Editors’ Code of Practice which states: "In cases involving personal grief or shock, enquiries and approaches must be made with sympathy and discretion and publication handled sensitively."
PG reports that it asked the PCC this morning whether it could deal with a clause three complaint made by third parties, or whether it would need the involvement of the Gately family. A PCC spokesman said: "The commission will need to consider that. Intrusion into grief or shock to some extent requires the involvement of those expressing the grief."
The Moir column was published on Friday, the day before Gately's funeral, and her comments about the singer's lifestyle and gay civil partnerships caused a storm of protest on Twitter.

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