View source for Misconduct in Public Office:Complaints and takedown policy

''Last revised 25 May 2026. This policy sets out how to make a complaint about
content on misconductinpublicoffice.org and how the campaign responds. It is
intended to satisfy the procedural requirements of section 5 of the Defamation
Act 2013 in respect of any content not posted by the editor, and to provide
a clear route for complaints in respect of content the editor has posted.''

== Summary ==

If you believe that something on this site is wrong about you, this page tells
you what to do.

* You can complain by email to <code>editor@misconductinpublicoffice.org</code>.
* You can complain by post to the address at [[Project:Contact]].
* We will acknowledge your complaint within '''7 days'''.
* We will respond substantively within '''28 days''' of acknowledgement.
* You may escalate to a regulator if you remain dissatisfied.

The rest of this page sets out the detail.

== Scope ==

This policy applies to:

* Editorial content published on misconductinpublicoffice.org under the
editorial responsibility of the campaign.
* Documents reproduced or hosted on the site, including court documents,
council papers, and other documentary material.
* Responses, reproduced verbatim, that have been submitted by named persons
under the right-of-reply policy.
* Content posted by users on talk pages or in other user-contributed contexts
(such content is governed additionally by the section 5 procedure described
below).

This policy does not apply to:

* Third-party websites or services linked from our pages. Complaints about
content on other sites should be directed to the operator of that site.
* The conduct of the editor outside the campaign.
* Material that has been removed from the site. Material that has been
retracted appears in the page history; it is not republished by being
referenced in a complaints procedure.

== Categories of complaint ==

We handle complaints in several recognised categories, and the procedure
varies slightly by category.

=== Factual inaccuracy ===

You believe that a specific factual assertion on the site is wrong. To make a
complaint of factual inaccuracy:

# Identify the page and the specific assertion you say is inaccurate. A URL,
a section number, and a quotation of the assertion are sufficient.
# State what you say the correct position is.
# Provide a source for the correct position where one is available — for
example, a primary document, a contemporaneous record, or another verifiable
reference.
# Identify yourself and your interest in the matter (whether you are the
subject of the assertion, a person with first-hand knowledge, or otherwise).

We will acknowledge within 7 days, investigate, and respond within 28 days.
Where we accept the complaint, we will publish a correction in accordance with
the [[Project:Corrections policy|corrections policy]]. Where we reject the
complaint, we will explain our reasons in writing.

=== Defamation ===

You believe that material on the site is defamatory of you, of someone you
represent, or of a body of which you are an officer or member. To make a
complaint of defamation:

# Identify the specific words you say are defamatory and the page on which
they appear.
# Identify yourself and the basis of your claim (whether you are the subject
of the words, or authorised to act on the subject's behalf).
# Identify the meaning you say the words bear.
# Set out the basis on which you say the meaning is defamatory and untrue.

We will acknowledge within 7 days. We will then consider whether the material
is defensible on the basis of (a) truth, (b) honest opinion, (c) reporting
privilege, or (d) public-interest publication. We will respond substantively
within 28 days. Our response will set out our position, which may be:

* That we accept the complaint and will remove or amend the material.
* That we accept the complaint in part and will publish a correction or a
qualified amendment.
* That we will publish your statement of position under the [[Project:Right-of-reply
policy|right-of-reply policy]] but consider the underlying material defensible
and will not remove it.
* That we do not accept the complaint and consider the material defensible.

Where we maintain the material, our response will identify the defence on which
we rely and the basis on which we have applied it.

=== Privacy and data protection ===

You believe that the site processes your personal data unlawfully. Such
complaints are handled in accordance with the [[Project:Privacy policy|privacy
policy]]. You have a right of complaint to the Information Commissioner's
Office in addition to the procedure here.

=== Copyright ===

You believe that material on the site infringes your copyright. To make a
copyright complaint:

# Identify the work you say is infringed.
# Identify the material on the site that you say constitutes the infringement.
# Confirm that you are the rights-holder or are authorised to act for the
rights-holder.
# State whether you require removal of the material, attribution, or a licence
arrangement.

We will respond within 14 days. Where we accept the complaint, we will remove
the material or comply with the rights-holder's reasonable requirements. Where
we contest the complaint, we will identify the basis on which we say the
material is published — typically fair dealing for criticism, review, or
reporting of current events, or fair dealing for the purposes of news reporting
of court proceedings.

=== User-contributed content (section 5 Defamation Act 2013) ===

Where the complaint relates to material posted by a user and not by the editor
— for example, on a talk page, or in a comment thread — the section 5
procedure under the Defamation Act 2013 applies. Under that procedure:

# Send a notice of complaint to <code>editor@misconductinpublicoffice.org</code>
meeting the requirements of section 5(6) of the Act and the
Defamation (Operators of Websites) Regulations 2013: specifying your name,
setting out the statement complained of and where it can be read, explaining
why it is defamatory of you, and confirming that you do not have sufficient
information to bring proceedings against the original poster.
# We will respond within 48 hours of receipt acknowledging the complaint.
# Within 5 days of acknowledgement we will contact the poster, where they are
contactable, and ask them whether they agree to removal.
# Where the poster does not respond within 5 days, or agrees to removal, we
will remove the material.
# Where the poster maintains the material and provides identifying information
enabling the complainant to bring proceedings against them, we will pass that
information to the complainant in accordance with the regulations and may
retain the material.

This procedure is mandatory for material covered by section 5. It is set out
here so that complainants and posters both know what to expect.

=== Reproducing material from elsewhere ===

Where the complaint relates to material reproduced on this site that originated
elsewhere (for example, an article from another publication reproduced under
fair dealing, or a quoted statement), we will follow the procedure above and
will additionally consider whether the original publication has been the subject
of a complaint of which we should be aware.

== Procedural rights of complainants ==

In handling any complaint, we commit to:

* '''Acknowledgement.''' We will acknowledge receipt of a complaint within
the timescale identified above for the relevant category.
* '''A named contact.''' We will identify the editor handling your complaint.
Where the editor has a personal interest in the subject-matter of the
complaint, we will identify that interest and explain the basis on which the
editor remains the appropriate contact (the campaign being a one-person
operation).
* '''A substantive response.''' We will not respond with formulaic boilerplate.
Our response will engage with the substance of your complaint and identify
the position taken on each point you raised.
* '''A written record.''' We retain copies of all complaints, our responses,
and any subsequent correspondence. These are part of our editorial audit
trail and are not published, but they are available to regulators and to
proper legal process.
* '''No retaliation.''' We do not retaliate against complainants by publishing
additional content about them, by referring to the complaint on the page
complained of, or by other means. The complaint and our response are
separate from continued editorial coverage.
* '''Right of escalation.''' If you are dissatisfied with our response, you
may escalate to a regulator. The relevant regulators are identified below.

== Procedural rights of subjects ==

Where the complaint relates to content about an identified person, that person
or their representative has, in addition to the above:

* The right to require publication of a response under the [[Project:Right-of-reply
policy|right-of-reply policy]]. The response is reproduced verbatim and is
not subject to editorial alteration.
* The right to have the response remain available for as long as the page that
named them remains published.
* The right to have factual inaccuracies corrected in accordance with the
[[Project:Corrections policy|corrections policy]].

== Escalation ==

If you remain dissatisfied with our response, you have the following routes of
escalation, depending on the nature of the complaint:

=== Independent press regulators ===

The campaign is not a member of an independent press regulator at the date of
this policy. We are reviewing membership of [https://impress.press IMPRESS]
and will update this policy if and when membership is confirmed. Until then,
you may complain to IMPRESS or to the Independent Press Standards Organisation
(IPSO) but we are not formally subject to their jurisdiction.

=== Information Commissioner's Office ===

For complaints about data protection, you may complain to the Information
Commissioner's Office at any time. Their contact details are set out in the
[[Project:Privacy policy|privacy policy]].

=== Courts ===

You retain at all times your right to seek legal remedy through the courts.
Nothing in this policy waives or affects your right to bring proceedings, and
nothing in this policy is to be construed as a contractual term restricting
your access to a tribunal. This policy describes a non-binding pre-action
route for resolving complaints, which we encourage you to use, but it does not
displace any legal right you have.

== Bad-faith complaints ==

We expect complaints to be made in good faith and supported by what their
makers reasonably believe to be true. We reserve the right to publish
correspondence from complainants in cases where:

* The complaint amounts to a threat or attempted intimidation.
* The complaint is part of a coordinated effort to suppress lawful reporting.
* The complaint contains material misrepresentation of fact that the
complainant ought to have known to be false.

In such cases the correspondence may be published in full as part of our
reporting on the matter. This is a journalistic decision taken in the public
interest and is not made lightly. Complainants who write to us in good faith
do not need to be concerned about this provision.

== Records ==

We maintain a register of complaints received. The register records the date,
category, outcome, and time taken to resolve. It does not include the names of
complainants, the contents of complaints, or other personal data. Aggregate
information from the register may be published in periodic transparency
reporting at [[Project:Transparency]].

== Contact ==

To make a complaint, contact:

* Email: <code>editor@misconductinpublicoffice.org</code>
* PGP-encrypted email is accepted; the key is published at [[Project:Contact]].
* Post: address set out at [[Project:Contact]].

== Changes to this policy ==

Material changes to this policy will be flagged at the top of the page and a
record of revisions is maintained in the page history.

[[Category:Policies]]
[[Category:Editorial standards]]