Article found to have breached privacy

A newspaper feature article which identified family members of a person convicted of serious drugs charges breached the complainant's privacy, the Press Council has ruled.

The complaint was upheld on a six to five majority decision.

Family members of the Wellington person complained that a Dominion Post news feature identified them by name and gave other identifying details about them.

The complainant alleged the newspaper had breached several council principles, including privacy and accuracy.

The complaint said references to the complainant's place of work, previous work activities and a medical condition breached the privacy principle, and was not relevant to the story.

The mention of another family member was also irrelevant, the complaint said.

The newspaper had not exercised care and discretion by identifying relatives of people convicted or accused of crimes and the reference to family members was not directly relevant to the matter reported.

The Dominion Post responded that the information in the article was in the public domain and available on the complainant's family website.

Some of the information was readily provided by the offender who had spoken at length during a prearranged interview, it said.

The information was accurate and there had been no discrimination against the complainant by referring to a medical condition.

The council said it upheld the complaint on the grounds the newspaper breached the complainant's privacy but did not uphold the complaint on the ground of accuracy and discrimination.

It said the breach of privacy arose through linking the complainant to the offender.

- NZPA