Fashion and gossip magazine Look has said sorry to former X-Factor winner Leona Lewis after publishing a story that suggested she was making ‘emotional calls’ to he mother and not coping with the pressures of stardom.
The Press Complaints Commission (PCC) which received a complaint by the singer over the story, has concluded that the apology published in a subsequent edition was sufficient enough to resolve the issue.
Making unfounded comments about someone’s state of mind or mental health can not only be defamatory but could also – as a discussion of a personal sensitive issue / medical condition - be invasive of their privacy. Luckily for Look Leona Lewis only launched a complaint with the PCC which means the worst the magazine could have got was a telling off, had she decided to launch a legal action there could have been the prospect of a big cheque changing hands to make the issue go away. Could she still sue? Yes, accepting an apology is not the same as a pre-trial offer of amends. She may feel the apology is enough and that the credibility of Look’s content is not going to cause her sufficient damage to warrant the publicity attaching to legal action.
One issue that remains contentious is the adequacy of printed apologies as remedies.
No comments:
Post a Comment