Stephen Nolan.
BBC Northern Ireland has won a complaint against the Irish News over four articles that alleged staff had been “planted” in the audience of presenter Stephen Nolan’s TV show.
Press regulator IPSO found the Irish News had “overstated” the nature of audience manipulation allegations shared with it by a source.
Rather than staff posing as audience members, IPSO said, the source’s description appeared to match up better with the BBC’s position: that “spotters” would point out people who wished to participate for the production staff to call upon.
The allegations relating to Nolan Live were reported in four articles over the course of five days in August 2023.
IPSO said the inaccuracy was significant because it “represented a serious allegation of editorial misconduct that could have serious reputational implications” both for the BBC and individuals working on the programme.
IPSO added that the Irish News had failed to provide the allegations to the BBC ahead of the first article, which related mainly to the “work environment” of the programme but included references to the alleged “ways used to stir debate”.
The newspaper removed a claim that junior staff members were told to “raise their hands and make a controversial point” from the first article but did not publish a correction – and a day later published two further articles containing similar allegations.
Republishing the claims alongside criticisms of the BBC after this point was a “clear breach” of the Editors’ Code, IPSO said.
A fourth article again reported that staff had been “placed” in the audience and went on to say that BBC Northern Ireland director Adam Smyth had requested an “immediate apology and retraction”.
But it contained a statement from editor Noel Doran that: “The Irish News has firm evidence setting out the circumstances in which junior members of staff were placed in the audience of Nolan Live.”
IPSO’s complaints committee said the inaccuracies warranted an apology as well as an adjudication, published online and on page four or further forward of the newspaper. The first article had appeared on page four and one of the later articles was on the front page.
The IPSO investigation was delayed by Nolan taking legal action against the Irish News and its journalist Rodney Edwards, saying the reports of audience manipulation were “grossly defamatory”.
The legal action was “resolved on mutually satisfactory terms” in June 2024.
A joint statement said: “All the parties agree that a dispute between journalists, each of whom is very respected in their own fields, is undesirable for everyone concerned.
“Mr Nolan acknowledges that The Irish News is entitled to report on matters which are in the public interest, including issues linked to the BBC, fairly and accurately.
“The Irish News, for its part, accepts that at no stage did Mr Nolan or other BBC figures attempt to engage in the manipulation of audiences during his television programme.
“Both sides agree that press freedom is an essential element of any democratic society.”
IPSO initially closed the BBC’s complaint in October 2023 due to the legal action.
However, it said it had done so on the understanding that the Irish News would inform it once proceedings had concluded and this did not happen. Instead the BBC did so in July 2024.
IPSO’s complaints committee also raised concerns that the newspaper had failed to provide it with relevant information for the handling of the complaint.
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