Last week’s Media Standards Trust report, which was critical of the Press Complaints Commission, led to ‘a bruising encounter’ between the PCC and the Trust, writes Emily Bell.
“[A] classic lesson in how not to spin a report on trust and transparency,” she says.
With the intention of following up with some more comprehensive ideas and suggestions, here’s a start on the regulation debate, following the publication of the Media Standards Trust’s new report (report in full at this link), which has provoked considerable discussion around the web.
Is the PCC in need of reform, and do we need a different kind of media regulatory system in the UK? To kick things off, here are two initial sets of suggestions from two bloggers – we’re aware there are plenty more suggestions out there. Have a look at these and then please do vote in the poll, which asks if you’re happy with UK media regulation. You can also Tweet @journalismnews with the tag ‘#regulation’ or comment on this post below.
So, what’s the future of media regulation in the UK?
“Six things I think the PCC should act quickly to change about the way it works:”
1. End the requirement for personal involvement
2. End the requirement for a hard copy
3. Update the code to reflect the reality of online
4. Insist corrections be reported online by newspapers
5. Hold monthly meetings in public
6. Publish data
Visit CurryBet.com to see this points expanded upon.
“I like Martin’s proposals but would go much further.”
1. Financial recompense for the victim and penalty for the publisher
2. The PCC needs to be citizen led
3. Develop a proactive capacity
Visit Cain’s own blog for full post.
POLL:
Speaking on the Radio 4 Today programme, chair of the Press Complaints Commission [PCC], Sir Christopher Meyer, has disputed the Media Standards Trust’s new published research, labelling it a ‘shoddy report’. (Click through end link for full transcript)
The report has found that the PCC [as reported in Guardian, for example] lacks transparency and ‘commercially significant sanctions’.
Interviewed this morning, Sir Christopher Meyer defended the work of the PCC: ‘the way we organise ourselves is transparent,’ he said.
“They [the MST] don’t come to PCC and they don’t take evidence directly,” Meyer said.
Sir David Bell, who chairs the MST, said “We are more expert on their website than they [PCC] are themselves.”
Bell said the MST will consult the PCC in the second stage of the research.
“There’s a revolution going on in newspapers, the PCC needs to be reformed,” Bell added.
Meyer labelled the report’s findings as ‘statistics of the madhouse’. “We now have record numbers of people coming for advice,” Meyer said. “This has to be seen as a vote of confidence,” he said.
Full audio linked here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_7878000/7878472.stm
0845 (Today Programme) from the website:
“Newspapers are regulated by the Press Complaints Commission, a body set up and run by the papers themselves. A report by the Media Standards Trust, an independent charity, says existing press self-regulation is not working. Sir David Bell, chairman of the trust, and Sir Christopher Meyer, chairman of the PCC, discuss the report.”
As reported on the main page, Sir Christopher Meyer will tonight urge publications to support the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) in its role, which he emphasises is still relevant in light of online developments and recent privacy issues. Here is his speech in full, courtesy of the PCC’s website:
“It is always a pleasure to be in Manchester – a city with a vibrant media which I have visited more than any other in England during my time chairing the PCC. It was in this very room five years ago that I launched the first of our Open Days: public meetings in the towns and cities of the UK aimed at making the PCC as accessible as possible. Then, as now, we were given all possible support by the Manchester Evening News and Paul Horrocks. One of the most respected and innovative editors in Britain, Paul was also an outstanding member of the PCC for four years.
It has always been my ambition to hold a full meeting of the PCC outside London. It is vital to get over the message that we are not a body shut away inside a metropolitan bubble, dealing with the complaints of celebrities, royals (and near-royals), and politicians. The reality is far different. We exist for all the citizens of the United Kingdom; and of the thousands who come to us for help and advice, over 90 per cent lay no claim to celebrity whatsoever.
So, tomorrow’s meeting of the PCC is an historic moment in the 17-year life of our organisation. My colleagues from the board, all/most of whom are present tonight, are the people who take the decisions under the Code of Practice: about where the public interest meets the individual’s right to privacy; what constitutes a significant inaccuracy; when payments for information can be made – in short, on how the UK’s newspapers and magazines should gather and report news in print and online.
The Daily Mail has reached an agreement with the Federation of Poles in Great Britain (FPGB) to remove articles from its website.
The FPGB accused the Mail of publishing articles that caused “negative emotions and tensions between the new EU immigrants and local communities”.
The Mail will print a letter from the FPBG today and run the letter as a blog post on its website.
Daily Express editor Peter Hill has left the Press Complaints Commission.
The move follows two months after his newspaper (along with its sister Sunday and the Star and Sunday Star) published front page apologies and paid the parents of missing child Madeleine McCann £550,000 in libel damages.
He’s replaced on the 17 strong commission by Mail on Sunday editor Peter Wright.