King’s College hospital has withdrawn a complaint against the Sun that alleged a reporter from the newspaper impersonated a friend of an injured victim of the Grenfell Tower fire in order to get an interview with him.
The hospital said last week it had formally written to News UK, the owner of the Sun, and the Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso) about the incident. The Sun denied its reporter attempted to impersonate a friend or relative of the victim.
The issue has been resolved between King’s College and the newspaper. The Sun has apologised for not following the protocol for media visits, but the hospital has accepted that the reporter did not impersonate a friend or relative and withdrawn its complaint to Ipso.
A spokesperson for King’s College Hospital NHS foundation trust said: “Any attempt to infringe upon the privacy of our patients or interrupt the duties of our staff is wholly unacceptable and will be always challenged.
“Following an incident at the hospital, a complaint was made to the Sun regarding the conduct of two of its staff. The Sun has accepted that protocol for media visits to the hospital was not followed on this occasion.
“They have apologised for the upset it caused and have agreed to follow established procedure in future. In light of the Sun’s apology, the trust has withdrawn its complaint to the Independent Press Standards Organisation.”
News UK accepted there were “crossed wires” on both sides. A Sun spokesperson said: “We are pleased this matter has been resolved. The Sun has the utmost respect for everyone who works in the NHS and nothing but praise for the work they do, especially at times of crisis.
“We look forward to maintaining a good relationship with King’s College trust, as with all hospitals, in the future.”
It is understood that the Sun was trying to get an interview with Mario Gomes, a resident on the 21st floor who has been hailed as a hero after racing back into the building to find his 12-year-old daughter.
News UK said at the time a Sun journalist had arranged an interview with Gomes through mobile phone messages after being given his number by someone at Grenfell Tower who knew him.
King’s College was one of six London hospitals to receive more than 70 victims of the fire and continues to care for some of those injured.
Such a complaint would have been investigated under clause 8 of the editors’ code, relating specifically to hospitals, which has two rules. It states: “Journalists must identify themselves and obtain permission from a responsible executive before entering non-public areas of hospitals or similar institutions to pursue inquiries.
“The restrictions on intruding into privacy are particularly relevant to inquiries about individuals in hospitals or similar institutions.”
