A complaint is to be lodged by King’s College hospital.
King’s College hospital will lodge a complaint with the Independent Press Standards Organisation after a journalist for The Sun allegedly impersonated a relative of a victim of the Grenfell Tower fire.
The journalist was looking to get an an interview with Mario Gomes, a resident on the 21st floor who rushed back into the blaze to rescue his daughter.
The Guardian have reported that the hospital has also lodged a complaint with News UK, the publisher of The Sun and other newspapers.
“Following an incident at King’s College hospital, we have formally written to the Sun and will be informing the Independent Press Standards Organisation,” said a spokeswoman for King’s College hospital NHS foundation trust.
News UK claim that they did have a legitimate interview with Gomes lined up, however it’s alleged that a different journalist for The Sun showed up at the hospital and tried to pass themselves off as a relative of Gomes.
News UK are denying that their reporter attempted to impersonate a relative.
As reported by The Guardian, a spokesman for The Sun said: “The Sun wants to make it clear that no reporter has ‘impersonated’. The Sun was in contact with one of the people injured in the Grenfell fire, who provided a detailed phone interview for the newspaper. We then visited him in hospital to get a further interview and photos. On arrival the Sun reporter and photographer made hospital staff aware that they were present and had been in touch with the contact. However we were informed the contact had changed his mind on the interview and the Sun promptly left the hospital. We completely refute any accusation that our employees acted inappropriately.”
King’s College hospital added that they’re “unable to comment on the specifics until our complaint has been investigated.”
