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Senior civil servant launches attack on Guardian over coverage of Department for Work and Pensions

By Dominic Ponsford

A senior civil servant is so unhappy about The Guardian's coverage of his department that he called for the paper to be banned from joining new press regulator, the Independent Press Standards Organisation.

In an opinion piece for Press Gazette, director of communications at the Department for Work and Pensions Richard Caseby has attacked The Guardian over the way it has covered a number of stories – including the news of his own appointment.

He said: "Why is it that the national newspaper which devotes the most coverage to welfare reform reports on it with such pinpoint inaccuracy?"

Caseby has crossed swords with The Guardian before, in his previous job as managing editor of The Sun. Then, he was critical of paper's coverage of the hacking scandal and brokered a number of corrections and apologies.

IPSO is due to launch on 1 June and so far Guardian News and Media, The Independent and the FT are the only national newspapers not to sign up to the body. The FT has said it will regulate itself in future, and The Guardian and Independent have yet to make their decisions.

Caseby singled out Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger in the piece and said: "Should the new IPSO members accept Mr Rusbridger as a johnny-come-lately? No, rather he should be blackballed. Sorry, but The Guardian isn't fit to become a member of IPSO until it starts valuing accuracy."

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