Main section
-
Top story
PCC is 'farcical', says ex-director of public prosecutions
Jane Martinson. Guardian
DATELINE: 6/2/10
A leading lawyer has called this week for independent regulation of the press, and for "all credible media organisations" to withdraw from the "farcical" Press Complaints Commission. Sir Ken Macdonald, visiting professor of law at the LSE and the former director of public prosecutions, told an audience of editors and lawyers: "The press may think the PCC works, but they are living in a dream world. Nobody else does."
His comments were echoed by others at the event on gagging the press, including the former Formula 1 chief Max Mosley, former TV presenter Anna Ford, the editors of the Guardian and Financial Times, and deputy editor of the Daily Telegraph.
The issue of privacy and the crippling cost of fighting defamation cases has become more topical after last week's overturning of a super-injunction by the England football captain, John Terry.
As the self-regulation body of the UK newspaper industry, the PCC has come under fire for lacking transparency and failing to promote accountability within the press. Last August, it launched the first independent review of its governance structure since it was created 18 years ago.
Alan Rusbridger, the Guardian editor, said the credibility of the PCC was "clinging by its fingertips", and that recent investigations had been "embarrassing". The PCC's current review should work out whether it has the capacity to be a regulator or a mediator, he said.
Bob Satchwell, director of the Society of Editors, said statutory regulation would be a worse option, while Eric Barendt, media law professor at University College London, praised the PCC's "valuable free remedy" for people who are not in the public eye.
Thursday 4 February 2010 23.56 GMT guardian.co.uk
Last modified: Saturday, February 6, 2010
Your comments:
The Guardian has subsequently corrected this piece: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/feb/04/pcc-press-gag-alan-rushbridger They state: "This article was amended on Friday 5 February. The first two sentences of the second paragraph were originally a single sentence; they were split to avoid the inaccurate implication that all the people listed favour the abolition of the PCC."
Posted by: PCC: 15 Mar, 2010 10:29:24
» Click here to add your comment.
Comments will be subject to approval and should not be defamatory, obscene, racist, in breach of copyright, or contrary to law. The CPBF is not reponsible for any views expressed here.
Previous press complaints commission stories
PCC Governance Review
Wanted - your views on the PCC
IFJ to investigate role of UK press complaints body in telephone tapping controversy
MPs express anger at PCC phone hacking 'whitewash'
Making the PPC accountable - sign up now
PCC to examine Mail Gately column
PCC to investigate itself
New attempt to reform PCC
Fewer Complaints and Greater Complacency
Submission to DCMS on press regulation
Press Complaints Commission widens its remit
Frankenstein Unbound?
CPBF writes to PCC on editors' code of conduct
A Pathetic Judgement
Slow and shoddy should be PCC slogan
PCC rejects CPBF Express complaint
CPBF launches complaint against Express
CPBF calls on PCC to open the books
-
Notices
Events & Announcements
Fringe meeting at the TUC
DATELINE: 26/8/10Tuesday 14 September 6.00pm – 8.00pm Mayor’s Parlour, Manchester Town Hall, M2 5DB
‘Media for All – the Democratic Challenge’.
An open event hosted by Making Good Society and the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom (CPBF), supported by the Carnegie UK Trust.
DOWNLOAD FREEPRESS NOW
DATELINE: 26/3/10
Download PDFs of Freepress here.
MEDIA FOR ALL CONFERENCE 09
DATELINE: 26/3/10
Media for All Conference 09
Conference Papers
-
Previous stories
Press Complaints Commission
PCC Governance Review
Wanted - your views on the PCC
IFJ to investigate role of UK press complaints body in telephone tapping controversy
MPs express anger at PCC phone hacking 'whitewash'
Making the PPC accountable - sign up now
PCC to examine Mail Gately column
PCC to investigate itself
New attempt to reform PCC
Fewer Complaints and Greater Complacency
Submission to DCMS on press regulation
Press Complaints Commission widens its remit
Frankenstein Unbound?
CPBF writes to PCC on editors' code of conduct
A Pathetic Judgement
Slow and shoddy should be PCC slogan
PCC rejects CPBF Express complaint
CPBF launches complaint against Express
CPBF calls on PCC to open the books