A JOURNALIST has settled his High Court action against Associated Newspapers (Ireland) Limited over his dismissal allegedly arising from Ireland on Sunday issuing an apology over its alleged inclusion of the name of a source in one of his articles.
It is believed the settlement includes a payment of some €100,000, including costs, to Jason O’Callaghan who was employed as a freelance reporter at the newspaper from October 2005 to March 2006.
After negotiations yesterday Richard Kean SC, for O’Callaghan, Cherryfield Road, Walkinstown, Dublin, told Ms Justice Mary Laffoy the case had been settled on terms agreed between the parties.
Under the settlement, an apology was read out in court by counsel for the newspaper group, Gary Compton.
It stated: "The defendants acknowledge in an article which appeared in Ireland on Sundaydated March 12th, 2006 by freelance journalist Jason O'Callaghan in relation to a proposed visit by Paris Hilton to Ireland that reference was made to a named company. We are happy to acknowledge that in the draft submitted by Jason O'Callaghan no such reference was included."
“We are happy to clarify this and we regret any upset caused to Mr O’Callaghan. We acknowledge that Mr O’Callaghan is an impeccable freelance journalist.” In his proceedings, O’Callaghan said he was employed by Associated Newspapers in October 2005 as a “freelance show business reporter”.
He said he had on March 10th 2006 provided a story concerning Paris Hilton to the editor of Ireland on Sundaybased on a source who claimed she would be coming to Ireland for a certain event. He had consulted a public relations person and wrote the story quoting an "Irish PR boss".
On March 11th he was asked by the newspaper’s editor in charge Philip Molloy for the name of the PR company mentioned in the article and gave that individual’s name but did not expect them to be named in the article as a source. That person was named and had contacted him to express dissatisfaction and upset, he said.
He had later received a phone call from Paul Drury, the managing editor of Ireland on Sunday, stating he had been asked for an apology from the PR company and an apology was subsequently given.
O’Callaghan said he had on March 18th received a phone call from Ted Verity, the managing director of the Irish Daily Mail Group who, he alleged, had shouted at him and used bad language concerning the apology.
An hour after that phone call, he was informed by Mr Drury his contract of employment was being terminated and he would be paid one month’s notice, he claimed.