REACH COMPLAINTS POLICY

1. Reach plc will consider complaints under its Complaints Policy concerning editorial content (eg articles and/or photographs) in its print publications and its own websites and/or the conduct of journalists/photographers either employed by us or commissioned by us on a freelance basis. Reach plc accepts complaints directly through its Complaints Procedure or you can seek advice via IPSO who may then refer your complaint back to us to deal with you directly. Reach plc will only consider complaints under this Policy that fall within the Editors Code of Practice ( The Code ) availablehere. If you are unsure as to whether your complaint falls under The Code please consult IPSO (Independent Press Standards Organisation) for guidance at Gate House, 1 Farringdon Street, London, EC4M 7LG.
   
   Website:www.ipso.co.uk
   
   Emailadvice@ipso.co.uk
   
   Telephone: 0300 123 2220
   
2. Complaints NOT covered by the Complaints Policy
   Concerns about matters of editorial policy, taste, decency, impartiality, or disagreements with the opinions of a publication or its columnists on a moral, political or other basis
   
   Lobbying on the general subject matter of articles and/or campaigns
   
   Vexatious and/or abusive complaints
   
   Contractual or other legal matters . If you have a complaint about a legal issue please write to the Legal Department Reach plc One Canada Square Canary Wharf London E14 5AP
   
   Complaints about online material originally generated by Reach plc on any website that is not owned or controlled by Reach plc
   
   Complaints about User Generated Content (eg comments by members of the public) on any Reach plc website that has not been pre-moderated by us.
   
   Complaints about spelling/grammar and/or simple matters of fact that do not affect the complainant personally. For these issues please contact the publication directly (see page 2 of the applicable publication for details or the homepage of its website).
   
   Complaints about advertising - If you are concerned about an advert that has appeared in one our newspapers or websites please refer to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) which is is the regulator for the advertising industry. Websitewww.asa.org.uk
   
3. Discretion
   Reach plc may at its discretion, consider a complaint (where an alleged breach of The Code is significant and there is substantial public interest in considering the complaint) from a representative group affected by the alleged breach, or from a third party seeking to correct a significant inaccuracy of published information. In the case of third party complaints, the position of the party most closely involved will be taken into account. If a complaint comes from multiple complainants, Reach plc reserves the right to respond with one generic reply.
   
4. Time Limits For Complaints
   Reach plc will generally only accept complaints under its Complaints Procedure that are made within four months of an article appearing in print or one year of an article first appearing online.
   
5. Procedure and Timetable
   Once a Complaints Form is received, we will acknowledge your complaint within 7 days. This acknowledgment may include a request for further clarification as to the nature of your complaint or more detail to help us determine whether there has been a breach of the Code. Our aim is to try to resolve your complaint amicably and quickly. However, if your complaint contains matters that require further research, are of a complex nature and/or require staff to be consulted who may be away, for instance, on annual leave then we will inform you of the expected response date. We will strive to resolve your complaint within 28 days of first receipt of your complaint. If we respond to you and do not hear back for a period longer than 28 days we will conclude that you have dropped your complaint and we will consider the matter closed.
   
   5a. If you have a disability
   In order to keep a proper and transparent record and archive of a compaint and its contents, all correspondence should be in writing. Cases will not be discussed over the telephone unless there are very exceptional circumstances. However, if you have a disability that prevents you from writing down your complaint and you do not have access to a carer or someone who can write your complaint for you, please contact the Legal Department. We will then try to make arrangements for you to express your complaint in writing. Alternatively you can contact IPSO for assistance. If you have other difficulties in reading or completing the complaints form then please speak to a member of the Legal Department. PLEASE NOTE, that the Legal Department will not discuss the substance of the complaint with you.
   
6. Conduct
   In order to fully understand and consider your complaint under the terms of The Code it is vital that all correspondence is conducted with courtesy and is limited to only the issues in hand. Although we appreciate that you may be upset by the publication of an article that has affected you (and we will strive to be sympathetic and considerate in investigating your complaint) Reach plc reserves the right to reject any complaint or contact without further contact where abusive , offensive, insulting or intimidating language has been or is being used.
   
7. Referral
   If we cannot resolve your complaint within the 28 day period and we cannot agree an extension of time to see if we can come to a settlement, then you are free to refer this matter to IPSO at the contact details set out above or by email atcomplaints@ipso.co.uk. IPSO will then try to broker a settlement between us but if they determine that a settlement cannot be reached, your complaint may be referred for a formal adjudication by the IPSO Complaints Committee.
   
8. Changes
   Reach plc reserves the right to amend this Policy at any time, but should this happen, it will adhere to the Policy that was in place at the time of any complaint.
   
9. Your data
   Your data, including any particularly sensitive data (such as data relating to criminal records) that you choose to provide as part of the complaint, will be used for purposes of investigating and/or resolving your complaint. In order to investigate, we may need to pass the details provided by you to journalists who have worked on the article complained of or have been involved with allegations you have made in order for them to respond to the allegations made. Further, if the allegation concerns the behaviour of a freelance journalist, confidential source or an agency we may need to pass details of the complaint to them. If you would like the Independent Press Standards Organisation to investigate your complaint, then it will require us to disclose details of the complaint and correspondence. By submitting this form, you consent to your data being processed in this way. If you have any queries about the way that we process the data submitted as part of your complaint, please contact us atcomplaints@reachplc.com

• Complaints Policy
• Code of Practice
• Complaints Form