IPSO Criticizes Mail for False Migration Claim in London

LONDON, England — The Mail has been reprimanded by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) for publishing an article claiming “one in 12 living in London is an illegal migrant.” The story misrepresented data and prompted a complaint.

The Mail defended its report by stating it relied on a similar article published by The Telegraph earlier that day. The Telegraph had not corrected the misinformation at that time, leading the Mail to believe its source was valid.

According to the IPSO summary, time constraints prevented them from independently verifying the information prior to publication. However, the Mail was careful to attribute the story to The Telegraph and correctly reported that the original article referenced a study by Thames Water.

The Telegraph’s article claimed that London could have as many as 585,000 illegal migrants. It presented a range from 390,355 to 585,533 based on the report, stating it implied that one in twelve London residents could be undocumented.

However, the Telegraph later acknowledged that the quoted population figure of 7,044,667 related to a specific water resource zone, not the larger geographical area of London, which is closer to 9 million. They clarified that the correct figure should be “up to one in 13.”

The complaint against the Mail argued that a more accurate interpretation of the statistics suggested that between one in 15 and one in 22 London residents may be illegal migrants.

Upon receiving the complaint, the Mail removed the article from its website and published corrections on January 31, admitting that the report seemed inaccurate. Nevertheless, they maintained they did not breach the Editors’ Code of Practice, suggesting they acted with due care.

In its decision, IPSO acknowledged that while the Mail was justified in reporting based on another publication’s output, it nonetheless held a responsibility to ensure the precision of its content. It emphasized that inaccurate information regarding sensitive issues like immigration has significant social implications.

The IPSO committee concluded that the Mail failed to exercise adequate care, deeming the inaccuracy a breach of the Editors’ Code, considering the claim’s broader social and political significance.