London: The Guardian newspaper on Friday
apologised to the Sun, part of Rupert Murdoch's News
International group, for reporting that it accessed former
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's son's medical records.
The Guardian had claimed this week that the Sun hacked
into Brown's son Fraser's medical records before reporting he
had cystic fibrosis.
The Sun said its source was the father of another child
with cystic fibrosis who heard the news "on the grapevine".
"In fact the information came from a different source
and the Guardian apologises for its error," the paper wrote in
its corrections column.
The Sun newspaper had strongly denied accessing Brown's
family medical records without his knowledge. Brown was
chancellor of the exchequer in 2006.
The paper said its 2006 story came from a member of the
public, and released a video interview with the unidentified
man.
Brown said he was left "in tears" when he was told that
the Sun was publishing the story.
He said he did not know how the newspaper got access to
the details but said: "I can't think of any way that the
medical condition of a child can be put into the public arena
legitimately unless the doctor makes a statement or the family
makes a statement."
The paper said the man's own child also had cystic
fibrosis and he wanted to raise awareness of the condition.
The Sun, published by Rupert Murdoch's News
International, said it had conducted an inquiry into the
allegations and that it had not accessed the medical records
of Brown's son or commissioned anyone to do so.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, July 16, 2011, 00:14