We strive for the highest standards in our journalism – but sometimes we get things wrong. We are open about it when we do and always take the appropriate action to put the record straight.
Here you will find details of corrections and clarifications we have made to articles on the site – with links to the content. If you believe we have made a mistake in our reporting then please let us know by emailing complaints@ajl.co.uk or calling 01224 343423 and we will investigate.
April 24,2023
We removed a story that ran under the headline “Diabetic patients in the Highlands face a ‘postcode lottery’ for continuous glucose monitoring devices” because its main thrust was based on an incomplete understanding of the available evidence. Our print editions carried the following apology on 27/04/23.
On Monday we published a front-page story about a “postcode lottery” affecting diabetes patients. It said that individuals were being “denied vital tech” in the form of continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), that no-one in the Highlands had been offered one and that in the Western Isles and Shetland they were available only to pregnant women. It contrasted this with England and other parts of Scotland where devices were “readily offered”. We called in an editorial for better provision. Our reporting was based on information obtained by a political party using Freedom of Information laws. We were contacted by several readers in the affected areas who told us that our story was wrong and that they had been prescribed CGMs. NHS Highland, which initially supplied an incorrect answer to the FOI request, in fact does provide the devices and says numbers are in line with national averages. Nor are CGMs restricted only to pregnant women in the islands. We are happy to correct the record and are very sorry for any confusion caused by this error, especially to people affected by diabetes. We would clarify that updated Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) guidance is due to be issued next year and that the Scottish Healthcare Technologies Group is part of HIS and made recommendations in its specific role as an assessor of emerging technologies. which should not therefore be seen as being at odds with wider HIS guidance. The NHS boards’ policies are mostly linked to separate Scottish Government guidelines.
April 17, 2023
In reporting the closure of a decorating firm’s retail outlet, we inadvertently gave the false impression that the business as a whole had ceased to trade. The text was amended to make clear it is very much still in operation.
March 21, 2023
This court report about a group of men convicted over a violent incident on a train originally said that women were among the attack victims – however not guilty pleas to those particular charges had been accepted by the Crown.
December 5, 2022
A story about an application for planning permission for works to the gardens of Drummuir Castle included out of date details about who owned the historic home which have now been amended.
November 29, 2022
This story repeated a widespread allegation that William Forbes- Sempill was a spy for the Japanese – a claim that has been disputed by some more recent academic research. We clarified this point and directed readers towards those findings.
November 17, 2022
The main photograph on this article about road safety measures being implemented at a notorious junction was swapped for a more general view after some readers pointed out it could wrongly be interpreted as an illustration of the specific manoeuvre being prevented by the changes.
November 16, 2022
In this story, a picture said to be of a millionaire businessman involved in a planning row was in fact of another individual of the same name. We removed the image and apologised publicly and privately for any confusion and embarrassment it caused.
October 25, 2022
The headline on this planning application round-up was changed to remove reference to a “racism row” over plans submitted by a Traveller. While some of the reported responses to the public consultation referred to concerns about the potential for race to play an element in the debate over the merits of the application, none of the reported objections were of that nature. We apologised if the wording of the headline gave any readers the opposite impression and were happy to clarify that there was no evidence of racism in the objections to the plans.
October 7, 2022
The name of the group involved in this environmental protest was originally given as *Just Oil” instead of “Just Stop Oil”.
September 13, 2022
This story about the controversy surrounding a funeral director’s corporate logo appearing in the window of the hearse carrying the Queen from Balmoral to Edinburgh originally stated that it had been “against royal protocol”. It was amended after we advised by William Purves Funeral Director that there was no breach of formal protocol involved and that it was removed en route as a result of the adverse public attention it was receiving.
September 6, 2022
Two related articles about the Port of Cromarty Firth bid to become a green freeport were amended to correct geographical slips. This one made reference to “the west coast of Scotland” and this one to the port being in “the west”.
August 14, 2022
This article about an auctioneering open day was updated to correct the date of the event.
July 21, 2022
Some of the quotes in this story about local objections to a skate park were initially attributed to the wrong individual.
July 15, 2022
This planning round-up correctly reported that a perfume studio was being converted for use as a holiday rental property. It was updated after the owner contacted us to let us know that the change was not planned until the spring of 2024 and that the perfume studio would continue trading in the meantime.
June 13, 2022
In this court report, we gave one of the charges as domestic assault when it should have been domestic abuse.
May 27, 2022
The picture that originally appeared on this story about a bridge being closed for repairs was of a different bridge in Inverness. Thanks to the readers who let us know so we could quickly correct it.
May 25, 2022
In this article about a planning application we incorrectly suggested VSA was a joint applicant with Assurance Homes Ltd, and that the charity had failed to sell Millbank House. We fixed this error, which was due to a misreading by us of council documents, apologised to VSA and added a note to make clear that it had no involvement in the plans for the site.
May 4, 2022
This article originally featured quotes from an expert, which were supplied to us by a reputable agency. We later discovered that the individual concerned had in fact died some time previously and so we removed them.
April 26, 2022
A previous version of this story included the real name of the dancer “Lily”. While this information was read out by the chairman during a public meeting, the individual subsequently contacted us to say that she had not realised her name would be given and considered its publication a risk to her personal security. While we were entirely free to report the meeting in full, we anonymised the story as a courtesy.
April 18, 2022
In this column, Derek Tucker had referred to Geva Blackett apparently going back on a previous declaration that she would not be seeking re-election. He had sourced that from this P&J article which originally reported that she had said she was quitting politics. In fact she had been referring to quitting party politics and had left open the possibility that she might stand as an independent candidate. We amended both.
January 10, 2022: This story was amended to correct the identity of Film-Ocean’s parent company
October 17, 2021: A reference in this story to the stables being demolished to create the swimming pool was changed to make clear the building is in fact being converted.
October 1, 2021: This story was amended to make clear that the warehouse still belonged to John Lewis and that the retailer was involved in the project.