IPSO finally upholds sexism complaint against The Sun

More than five months after The Sun published an article detailing Jeremy Clarkson’s “dream” for Meghan Markle to be attacked in the street, a complaint against the newspaper has been upheld.

Some 25,000 complaints were made about the article published in December 2022.

In it, Clarkson declared a hatred for Markle “on a cellular level” and said he dreamed of the day she is “made to parade around naked through the streets of every town in Britain, while the crowds chant ‘shame!’, and throw lumps of excrement at her”.

Industry association and complaints-handler IPSO dismissed most of these but pursued four complaints from the Fawcett Society and the Wilde Foundation. These complaints alleged sexism, racism, inaccuracy and harassment.

But on Friday, IPSO has announced that the complaint of sexism has been upheld.

This is the first time in IPSO’s entire history that it has upheld a complaint of sexism against any newspaper and is credit to the expertise and tenacity of the complainant organisations, Fawcett Society and the Wilde Foundation, and their members.

Commenting, journalist & Hacked Off Board Director EMMA JONES said: “Hacked Off congratulates the Fawcett Society, the Wilde Foundation, the 25,100 other complainants, the 60 MPs to speak out and the Duchess of Sussex on securing from IPSO what is a remarkably rare finding of discrimination against a member publisher, and the first ever finding of sexism.

“It is obvious that without the huge public outrage, and involvement of expert organisations the Fawcett Society and Wilde Foundation, this outcome could not have been achieved.

“Sadly, the adjudication provides a vivid reminder of the toothlessness of the complaints body as today’s finding carries no meaningful sanction and delivers no real consequences for the Sun, for the editor who published a grossly misogynistic article or for the columnist who wrote it. No one has been disciplined and no reforms are required which could prevent this happening again.”

Jack Peat

Jack is a business and economics journalist and the founder of The London Economic (TLE). He has contributed articles to VICE, Huffington Post and Independent and is a published author. Jack read History at the University of Wales, Bangor and has a Masters in Journalism from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.