KOBI SHEMESH AGAINST THE TIMES
Case Number: 2667
Council Meeting: MAY 2018
Decision: No Grounds to Proceed
Publication: The Times
Ruling Categories:
Editorial Discretion
Letters to the Editor, Closure, Non-Publication
Obligation to Publish
Overview
CASE NO: 2667
RULING ON THE COMPLAINT OF KOBI SHEMESH AGAINST THE TIMES
FINDING: NO GROUNDS TO PROCEED
DATE: May 2018
Kobi Shemesh complained that the editor of The Times, Nicholas Krause, refused to publish a story about his immigration woes for political reasons.According to Mr Shemesh the general public deserved to see what has been published in evidence in his online petition.
The complaint was given preliminary consideration by a Media Council Committee who saw it as having no grounds to proceed.
Mr Shemesh is mistaken if he thinks that he can demand a publication of his story in any publication. Any editor has discretion to decide what stories to publish and what to decline and this decision will be based on many factors including news value and readership interest in the topic.Mr Krause was within his rights to decline the story.
For the record we state there is no right to publication (except possibly in the interests of balance, accuracy and fairness when there is something already published on an issue, which is not the case here).
Ruling: No Grounds to Proceed.