APPENDIX 85
Memorandum submitted by Mr Rob Key
I have received notification that the Parliamentary
Select Committee has announced an inquiry into the Press Complaints
Commission, and in particular the service that it gives members
of the public who have experienced a breach of the editor's Code
of Practice.
In October 2000, the Worcester Evening News
saw fit to publish an article allegedly revealing a confidential
report identifying my full name, job title and salary under the
banner heading of "Salary up by almost a quarter".
This particular newspaper enjoys a wide local
circulation and caused embarrassment and disquiet to both myself
and members of my family.
Initial correspondence failed to persuade the
Editor to apologise and it became necessary to remind him of the
Press Complaints Commission Code of Practice, Data Protection
and the Human Rights Act 1998.
This resulted in an apology and the printing
of a retraction.
Unfortunately, the retraction appeared in a
far less prominent position in the newspaper and did little to
deal with the embarrassment the initial article had caused.
20 January 2003
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