The Guardian has apologised to The Sun over a story claiming Labour Peer Maurice Glasman dropped plans to write a column for the paper following pressure from Labour leader Ed Miliband.
The 23 February article was headlined “Labour peer decides not to write column for the Sun on Sunday” – but News International insists there was never any prospect of Glasman writing a column.
Instead, it said Glasman ‘had prepared an article for the Sun after a discussion with staff, but no payment was either suggested or asked for it”
In its apology The Guardian said: ‘The original article failed to seek comment from The Sun or News International. The Guardian’s editorial code says that fairness includes the obligation to give the subject of an allegation the chance to respond.”
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This is the fifth apology or clarification issued by The Guardian to News International since the hacking scandal erupted in July.
On 15 July it apologised to The Sun for a front page report claiming the paper had accessed the medical records of the infant son of former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
On 23 November it apologised after claiming on its front page that a reporter from The Sun was sent to doorstep a barrister involved in the Leveson Inquiry.
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In an editorial published on 23 November the paper admitted its reporting of claims that News of the World journalists deleted the voice messages that gave Milly Dowler’s parents false hope that their daughter might still be alive ‘should have qualified our original reporting with an additional four words: ‘Reliable sources claim that.’
In January The Guardian amended an article which falsely alleged The Sun had run a ‘public countdown’to the day when singer Charlotte Church reached the age of sexual consent.
In December The Sun’s managing editor Richard Caseby accused The Guardian of ‘sexing up’its phone-hacking coverage.
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