Information for Complainants

Decisions by the Executive Director whether to consider the complaint in detail, seek a response from the publication and possibly refer to adjudication take account of the factors applying to such decisions in all types of complaint, and also the following factors: • the risk of aggravating any possible invasion of privacy or other harm caused to people or organisations directly affected by the m. [...] If requested by the complainant or publication within seven days of their having been being notified of the complaint, the Executive Director may seek to contact the person who is the subject of the material to which the complaint relates, unless he or she considers there are compelling reasons not to do so. [...] The complainant may not be (and is not usually) involved in the Council’s ongoing consideration of the complaint unless the Executive Director decides it is desirable to do so in order to effectively clarify relevant issues of fact and opinion, or Standards of Practice. [...] After the complaint has been made to the Council and referred to the publication, the complainant and publication should not communicate about the complaint with a person who is the subject of the published material or action in question, unless they have discussed with the Executive Director how, and by whom, the communication should be made. [...] Failure to do so may limit the extent to which the Council takes account of a communication purporting to be from the person in question.