As a self-regulatory organization, the National NewsMedia Council (NNC) receives and evaluates complaints about possible breaches of journalistic standards from members of the public against member news organizations.
In this latest update from our complaints desk, you’ll find several summaries of recent reader complaints that the NNC has received and which have been addressed through corrective action by the news organization or through reader education about journalism standards and practices.
Publication ban violated
An individual contacted the National NewsMedia Council (NNC) expressing concern that a video revealed the identity of a victim in an ongoing court proceeding, involving sexual assault. A publication ban was in effect at the time the video was posted.
Reporting on court proceedings is a standard part of journalistic practice and plays an important role in the open courts system. Publication bans are ordered by the court for a number of reasons, including the desire to protect a victims’ right to privacy. In such instances, journalists should take care to avoid publishing sensitive information, including information that could tend to identify an individual subject to a publication ban. Violating a publication ban can lead to legal consequences for journalists and news organizations.
In response to the concern raised, the news organization swiftly removed the content in question. The complainant did not proceed with the complaints process (CASE ID: 2025-29).
Fundamental attribution error resolved
A photographer filed a complaint with the NNC stating concern that an image of theirs was used, and altered, for publication without their permission.
Standard journalistic practices and copyright requirements ensure that material, including visual artwork such as photography, is used and attributed properly.
In this case, the photograph was sourced via a large stock photo provider, which has its own content agreement requirements to credit the creator of the work. In response to the concern, the news organization updated the caption to reflect the photographer’s name and source of the image.
The complainant found the update satisfactory, and the matter was considered resolved (CASE ID: 2025-37).
Adding context to opinion pieces
An individual filed a complaint with the NNC because they were concerned that an opinion article written by a group of researchers warning about pseudoscientific information contained information that was itself “pseudo-scientific,” and that it did not contain sufficient context to present the other side of the argument.
Opinion columns, by their nature, are meant to express a specific point of view. In this case, the column was appropriately labelled as opinion and included information about the authors’ credentials. The article also included references and hyperlinks to further information to support the argument, which is in keeping with journalistic standards and best practices when publishing opinion content.
In corresponding with the complainant, the NNC explained that opinion articles often present strong views, which may include challenging the status quo. While readers may disagree with the writer’s evidence – or conclusion – this, in itself, is not a breach of journalistic standards.
Best practice is to reflect a range of perspectives on matters in the public interest, which includes publishing journalistic opinion content as well as letters submitted from readers.
In response to the individual’s concern, the news organization published the complainant’s submitted letter to the editor. The matter was considered resolved (CASE ID: 2025-46).