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Press Complaint Letter

A pre-IPSO complaint seeking a correction for a materially inaccurate newspaper report.

Jurisdiction: England and Wales - completed fictional worked example

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Important: This sample provides general legal information only and is not legal advice. Check the law, prescribed forms and signing requirements that apply to your exact jurisdiction and circumstances before use.

# PRESS COMPLAINT LETTER

Date: 6 February 2038

Parties: Oliver Grant of 5 Mill Lane, Norwich NR2 3TE; The East Counties Herald; and IPSO

## 1. Publication and subject

To: The Editor, The East Counties Herald. Subject: request for correction to the 12 January 2038 article “Council contractor dismissed after fraud probe”. I ask the publication to investigate this specific complaint before I consider any external route.

## 2. Chronology and disputed statements

The article appeared online on 12 January and was shared in the print edition on 13 January. It states that I was dismissed for fraud and that a council investigation established dishonest invoices. On 9 January my employment ended by agreed redundancy; the council's 15 January statement records no fraud finding.

## 3. Code and cautious basis

The statements appear to raise accuracy concerns under Clause 1 of the Editors' Code. I do not ask you to decide a defamation claim in this letter, and I recognise that the publication may need to check its sources and response before deciding what correction is appropriate.

## 4. Evidence and remedy sought

I enclose my redundancy agreement, the council statement dated 15 January, the article PDF and screenshots showing the headline, photograph and sharing. Please add a clear correction to the online article, correct the print record where practicable, remove the photograph if no longer justified, and tell me what editorial review has been completed.

## 5. Deadline and IPSO posture

Please acknowledge by 13 February 2038 and provide a substantive response by 20 February. If the newspaper does not resolve this, I will check that it is an IPSO member and use the current IPSO complaint form and deadline; this letter does not itself begin an IPSO adjudication. Signed, Oliver Grant, 6 February 2038.

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