The Sun reports the allegations against Stuart Sterling with attribution to the Sunday Times and gives his denials and his representative's statement in full. But its headline and opening sentence tell readers he has stepped down, when the Government statement it quotes says only that he has stepped back while the facts are established.
Headline goes beyond the article
Minor
“steps down from watchdog role”
Why this matters
The headline says Sterling "steps down" from his role, which reads as a resignation.
The impression it gives
Sterling has left the Ethics and Integrity Commission for good.
The context
The only statement on his status in the article, from a Government spokesperson, says he "has stepped back from his role whilst we swiftly establish the facts". That is a temporary withdrawal pending a fact-finding process. The BBC and The Independent both report that he stepped back.
How we know
Elsewhere in the article“Stuart Sterling has stepped back from his role whilst we swiftly establish the facts.”
The opening sentence repeats "stepped down" in The Sun's own voice. It turns the headline's wording into the article's first statement of fact.
The impression it gives
His departure is settled before the reader reaches the Government's own words eight sentences later.
The context
The Government says he has stepped back while it establishes the facts, and the Cabinet Office is still to examine whether proper disclosures were made. His position has not been resolved.
How we know
Elsewhere in the article“the Cabinet Office will now examine whether appropriate and correct disclosures of information were made”
Elsewhere in the article“has stepped back from his role whilst we swiftly establish the facts”