8/6/2019 Letter to the Office of the Press Ombudsman 7 March 2011

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7March2011

OfficeofthePressOmbudsman1,2&3WestmorelandStreet,Dublin2Ireland

DearSirorMadam:

Re: Formal Complaint, Irish Independent, 18 February 2011We arewriting on behalf of more than thirty Irish drug service providers andprofessionals to lodgea joint complaint against the Irish Independent,and thecolumn Sterilising junkies may seem harsh, but it does make sense by IanO'Doherty(18February2011).WebelievetheoffendingpiecetobeinviolationofPrinciples1.1and8oftheCodeofPracticeforNewspapersandMagazines.Our organisationswork with, andprovide services for,people whouse drugs,

their friends and families, as well as advice on drugs to government andcommunity stakeholders. As organisations that work to battle the stigma anddiscrimination affecting people who use drugs, we were alarmed by Mr.ODohertys column, and believe that the Irish Independent bears ultimateresponsibilityforpublishingitshatefulcontent.Takinga complaint to the PressOmbudsman isnot an actionwe take lightly.Given the widespread stigma against drug users in Irish society, we areunfortunatelyquiteusedtoseeingmediarepresentationsofdrugusethatwefindobjectionable.Inthatsense,wehavenecessarilydevelopedthickskinswhenitcomestopressreportingofthepeopleweworkwith.Thatsaid,wearebringingthis complaintbecausewehavenotseenapieceasviciousandabhorrentasthat written by ODoherty in the Independent. Indeed, it is difficult to findcomparableexamplesanywhereinthemediawhereacolumnisthasproclaimedthat he or she would celebrate the mass death of an identifiable group ofvulnerablepeople.YetthisisexactlywhatODohertydoes.

Irish Needle Exchange Forum

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Weshalldetaileachofourcomplaintsinturn.Principle 1.1 - In reporting news and information, newspapers and periodicalsshall strive at all times for truth and accuracy.Theauthorslededescribesanassaulthewitnessedfromataxi ,anassaultheattributestojunkies.Atnopointinthepiecedoeshestatewhyhebelievesthatthe assailant uses drugs. Instead, ODoherty sees a criminal act (potentiallybrieflysincehenevermentionsifthecabwasmoving)andascribesitasbeingrepresentativeofanentiregroup.Thereisnoindicationfromthepiecewhythisattributionispresentedasfact,otherthantheauthorspresumptionfuelledbyhisown prejudice against a particular social group, a prejudice that he displaysnumeroustimesinthecolumn.WhileMr.ODohertymayascribesuchcriminalitytoonegroup,someonewithadifferentsetofbigotriescouldjustaseasilyassignittoanationality,religionoranothersocialgroup.TheIrishIndependentanditseditorshaveadutytoguardagainstsuchcontentandensurethat,atthevery least, ifoneof itscolumnistsseekstoclaimthatacriminalactisreflectiveofanentiregroup,thattheaccuser

atleasthasproofsupportingthatstatement.

Mr. ODoherty also attempts to draw an arbitrary and meaningless distinctionbetween an addict and a junkie, expressing his hate for the latter. Thedistinction is false andmisleading,and has nobasis in fact or in themedicalliterature.

Basedupontheabovemisrepresentationsandfailuretoensurefactualcontent,we believe the Irish Independent has violated Principle 1.1 of the Code ofPractice.

Principle8Newspapersandperiodicalsshallnotpublishmaterial intendedorlikelytocausegraveoffenceorstiruphatredagainstanindividualorgrouponthebasisof theirrace,religion,nationality,colour,ethnicorigin,membershipofthe travelling community, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, disability,illnessorage.

Inhis column, ODohertywrites Let's geta few things straight Ihate junkiesmorethananythingelse.Ihatetheirgreed,theirstupidity,theirconstantsenseofselfpity,theyway theycanjustify theirbehaviour, thedamage theydoto theirownfamilyandtoothers.Headdsthat,TheyareworthlessandstatesthatIfeveryjunkieinthiscountryweretodietomorrowIwouldcheer.

Drug dependency and addiction is widely recognised as a chronic, relapsingmedical condition. In a number of countries, drug dependency is not onlyrecognised as an illness, but as a form of disability under domestic disabilitylegislation.Assuch,inprintingODohertyscolumn,theIndependenthasviolatedPrinciple8.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the World HealthOrganizationagreethat Drugdependenceisconsideredamulti-factorialhealth

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disorder that often follows the course of a relapsing and remitting chronicdisease.Theycontinue:

In the past decades, drug dependence has been considered,dependingonthedifferentbeliefsorideologicalpointsofview:onlyasocial problem,only an educational orspiritual issue, onlya guiltybehaviortobepunished,onlyapharmacologicalproblem.Thenotion

thatdrugdependencecouldbeconsideredaself-acquireddisease,based on individual free choice leading to the first experimentationwith illicit drugs, has contributed to stigma and discriminationassociated with drug dependence. However, scientific evidenceindicatesthatthedevelopmentofthediseaseisaresultofacomplexmulti-factorial interaction between repeatedexposure todrugs,andbiologicalandenvironmentalfactors. 1

Mr.ODohertyscharacterisationoftheseferal,worthlessscumbags isnotonlyahatefulattackavulnerablepopulationwitharecognisedmedicalcondition,italsoignores the well-established link between drug use and depression, mental

illness, alcohol use and homelessness. According to the National AdvisoryCommitteeonDrugs,forexample,theveryreasonmanypeopleareonthestreetisduetothelinkbetweendruguseandmentalillness,notingthat mentalhealthresidentialfacilitiesexcludepeoplewhomisusesubstances,andsubstanceuseresidentialfacilitiesexcludepeoplewhohaveaseriousmentalillness. 2

The vitriol published by the Independent is targeted at people with a chronichealthcondition,andthereforeisclearlyinviolationofPrinciple8thatthemedianot stir up hatred against a group based upon illness or disability. WouldODoherty equally cheer the mass death of homeless people, alcoholics, orpeople with mental health problems? Would the Independent publish suchstatementsifhedid?ThesearekeyquestionsthatmustbeconsideredbytheOmbudsmansOffice.

Clearlytheeditorsof theIndependent have failed in theirduty toprevent suchcontentfrombeingpublished.Thatthesevileopinionswerepublishedbyoneofthe nations most widely read newspapers is not just upsetting, it must beansweredfor.

Some have already attempted to defend ODohertys statements as satire(ODohertyssatiretakescourage,IrishIndependentLetters,22February2011).However, we doubt that Jonathan Swift went so far as to cheer the massexterminationofavulnerablesocialgroup.Inanycase,suchclaimsofsatirical

intent areundermined byODohertyhimself. Hiscolumn clearly describeshisknowledgethatthetermjunkieisconsideredoffensive,andthathesimplydoesnot care. This is not satire. It is a conscious intent to offend. Furthermore,ODohertysubsequentlyrevelsinthecomplaintshiscolumnhasgenerated,andspecificallythefactthathehadoffendedgroupsrepresentingdrugusers1UNOfficeonDrugsandCrimeandWorldHealthOrganization,PrinciplesofDrugDependenceTreatment:ADiscussion

Paper,March2008,p.1.2NationalAdvisoryCommitteeonDrugs,MentalHealthandAddictionServicesandtheManagementofDualDiagnosis

inIreland,2004,p.29.

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(People, people, some perspective please, Irish Independent, 22 February2011).

Ifthereisanyironytobefoundinthissituation,itisinthefactthatODohertyhimself wrotein2007 that [I]f weare goingtohaveadebateaboutdrugs,weoweittopeopletoatleasttalkaboutithonestly,ratherthanspreadingdangerousmisinformation. (Why I gave up cocaine... you can believe this one, Irish

Independent, 12 November 2007). In publishing this column, the IrishIndependentnotonly failedtomeetisobligationsunderthePressCouncilsCodeofPractice,itfailedtomeeteventhestandardofinformedhonestdiscoursethecolumnisthimselfhascalledfor.Welookforwardtoyourattentioninthismatter.Yours,

Tim Bingham, Co-ordinatorIrish Needle Exchange Forum

tim@inef.ie

Daithi Doolan, Co-ordinatorCityWide Drugs Crisis Campaigndaithi@citywide.ieRickLines,ExecutiveDirectorInternationalHarmReductionAssociation(SteeringCommittee,IrishNeedleExchangeForum)rick.lines@ihra.net

On behalf of:

Ana Liffey Drug ProjectBallyfermot Advance ProjectBallyfermot Community Drug TeamBallyfermot Youth Centre & Childcare Facility LimitedBallymun Local Drugs Task ForceBawnogue Youth and Family Support GroupCairdeCanals Communities Local Drugs Task Force Ltd

Canal Communities Training Programme, TURASClondalkin Drugs Task ForceDonnycarney Youth ProjectDonore Community Drug TeamDublin 12 Local Drugs Task ForceDublin Aids AllianceDunlaoghaire Rathdown Outreach ProjectFamily Support Network

mailto:tim@inef.iemailto:tim@inef.ie

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