The chairman of the Press Council has criticised two newspapers for not publishing negative judgments made against them. Professor Tom Mitchell said it showed a disregard for the rules for newspapers not to publish full details of complaints that have been upheld.

The Irish Times and The Sunday Tribune are refusing to publish Press Council judgments that partially upheld complaints against stories written by their journalists.

“Failure to do so not only flies in the face of the articles of association under which the Press Council has been established, but also may fall to be considered under the Code of Practice, to which all newspaper editors have signed up,” warned Mitchell.

While newspapers are not under a legal obligation, Mitchell said the council “never compromises on the requirement that all publications must publish in full all decisions in relation to complaints that have been upheld”.

Sean Quinn, the owner of Quinn Insurance, lodged four complaints against The Sunday Tribune over articles published between November 2008 and February 2009. Quinn alleged that there had been breaches of the Code of Practice concerning truth and accuracy, distinguishing fact and comment, fairness and honesty, and respect for rights.

John Horgan, the press ombudsman, rejected two of the complaints, but partially upheld the other two, one for unfair publication of news and information, and the other for overestimating the size of a fine imposed on Quinn and his group by the Financial Regulator.

The Sunday Tribune, however, has issues with the findings and has yet to publish them. Diarmuid Doyle, the deputy editor, said it would be “a reasonable assumption” to say that the newspaper is unhappy at having to publish the entire findings given that only two were partially upheld. “When a complaint is only partially upheld, you’re still obliged to publish the whole thing, which could take up the guts of a page, and space is it a premium,” he said.

The Tribune is also waiting to see how the Press Council resolves a stand-off with the Irish Times.

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