Independent Press Standards Organisation

The Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) was established on Monday 8 September 2014 following the windup of the Press Complaints Commission (PCC), which had been the main industry regulator of the press in the United Kingdom since 1990. The PCC received extensive criticism for its lack of action in the News International phone hacking scandal, including from MPs and Prime Minister David Cameron, who called for it to be replaced with a new system in July 2011. The Leveson Inquiry was set up and reported in November 2012, recommending in favour of the establishment of a new independent body.

IPSO claims to be an independent regulator of the newspaper and magazine industry, and exists to promote and uphold the highest professional standards of journalism in the UK, and to support members of the public in seeking redress where they believe that the Editors' Code of Practice has been breached. The Editors' Code deals with issues such as accuracy, invasion of privacy, intrusion into grief or shock and harassment. IPSO is able to consider concerns about editorial content in newspapers and magazines, and about the conduct of journalists.

IPSO handles complaints, and conducts its own investigations into editorial standards and compliance. It also undertakes monitoring work, including by requiring publications to submit annual compliance reports. IPSO has the power, where necessary, to require the publication of prominent corrections and critical adjudications, and may ultimately fine publications in cases where failings are particularly serious and systemic.

Report of the Leveson Inquiry

The Leveson Inquiry found that the existing PCC was not sufficiently independent of the industry it was regulating and proposed the establishment of a new independent body. But he said that a legal framework was necessary to give this body powers of enforcement such as exemplary damages and suggested the possibility of a Royal Charter to provide this.

This route was accepted by David Cameron and following extensive political discussion, a Royal Charter on self-regulation of the press was granted by the Privy Council in October 2013 despite legal challenges by newspaper publishers (Pressbof) to prevent it. The publishers characterized the Charter as 'deeply illiberal' and had presented their own alternative proposals which the High Court did not accept as they did not comply with certain principles from the Leveson report, including independence and access to arbitration.

The industry therefore continued with its own proposals despite fears that industry representatives would still have powers of veto over the chairman and other board members. The Media Standards Trust also published a critique analysing in detail where the proposals met and fell short of Leveson's recommendations.

One of the Government's commitments in implementing the Inquiry's recommendations related to the fact that while the industry should regulate itself, there should be some independent verification (or 'recognition') of the regulatory arrangements the press put in place. The Press Recognition Panel was created on 3 November 2014 as a fully independent body with the purpose of carrying out activities in relation to the recognition of press regulators.

Establishment

The chair of IPSO is retired Court of Appeal judge, Sir Alan Moses and a 12-strong board has been appointed. A majority of the members are independent (7) which means they have no connections with the newspaper and magazine industry. The other members (5) represent the newspaper and magazine industry.

Dr Ros Altmann, CBE - Ros Altmann is the former Director General of the Saga Group, and is a Non-Executive Director of Trafalgar House Pension Trust and Chair of the Lord Chancellor's Strategic Investment Board. She is the Government's Business Champion for Older Workers and is an independent pensions, savings and economic policy expert as well as a renowned consumer champion on these issues. She is a Governor of the London School of Economics for six years and the Pensions Policy Institute. She was awarded a CBE for services to pensioners and pension provision.

Kevin Hand - Kevin Hand is currently Vice President of the European Magazine Marketing Association and Deputy Chair of the Professional Publishers Association, having previously acted as Chair. During his executive career Kevin served as a director of Emap for ten years, the last three of which were as the Chief Executive.

Richard Hill, MBE - Rick Hill is Chair of the General Consumer Council for Northern Ireland. He has previously been Chair of the Northern Ireland Screen Commission, Chair of Consumer Focus Post and a member of the Consumer Focus UK Board. He is now the owner and director of Titanic Gap Media Consultancy.

Anne Lapping - Anne Lapping is the former Vice Chairman of the Council and Court of the London School of Economics. She has worked for ITV and the Economist and was the joint founder of Brook Lapping Productions, and is a Trustee of openDemocracy, Chair of the Management Board of Polis, and a former Non-Executive Director of Channel 4 and the Scott Trust.

Martyn Lewis, CBE - During Martyn Lewis's 32 years as a television news journalist he presented all the mainstream national news programmes on ITV and BBC. He is chairman of NCVO (the National Council for Voluntary Organisations), the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service and Families of the Fallen, President of United Response, Founder of YouthNet and Director of The TS Elite Group.

Charles McGhee - Charles McGhee, the former editor of The Herald in Glasgow, is an Honorary Professor in Journalism and Media at Glasgow Caledonian University. Charles is a former member of the Press Complaints Commission and President of the UK Society of Editors.

William Newman - William Newman is a former Managing Editor of The Sun, and previously worked with a number of newspapers including The Guardian, Sunday Times and Observer. William was a member of the Organisation of News Ombudsmen, and he is currently a trustee and former Chairman of the Journalists' Charity.

Keith Perch - Keith Perch is the former editor of the Leicester Mercury, the Derby Telegraph and the South Wales Echo, Cardiff, and has also worked for the Grimsby Telegraph, the Hull Daily Mail and the Birmingham Post and Mail. He is currently a senior lecturer in journalism at the University of Derby and a media consultant.

Richard Reed - Richard Reed is the co-founder of innocent. The business was started from a market stall in 1999 by Richard and two friends and has grown into a business with a turnover of over £200m, selling in 15 different countries across Europe. Richard is the co-founder of Jam Jar Investments, a company that backs young entrepreneurs; the co-founder of Art Everywhere, the world's largest art show; and the co-founder of The Reed Page Foundation, a charity that funds peace-brokering and environmental protection initiatives internationally. Richard is also Chairman of the innocent foundation, and a Patron of Peace One Day.

Dame Clare Tickell - Dame Clare Tickell is Chief Executive of Hanover Housing Association. She was previously Chief Executive of Action for Children and Chair of the Help the Hospices Commission into the Future of End of Life Care, and was a member of the RSA 2020 Commission into Public Services.

Charles Wilson - Charles Wilson is the former managing director, of the Mirror Group Newspapers and has previously been editor of The Times, Independent, the Scottish Sunday Standard, Glasgow Herald and the Chicago Sun Times. He is a former member of the Youth Justice Board, and former Vice-Chairman of the Chelsea & Westminster Hospital. He is Vice-Chairman of Addaction.

The Chief Executive is Matt Tee.

Several of the broadsheet newspapers, including the Financial Times, The Independent and The Guardian newspapers have indicated they will not take part in the organisation. The Financial Times joins The Guardian in establishing its own independent complaints system.

As of January 2016 Tickell and Altmann are not members of the board anymore, current new members are Mehmuda Mian, Ruth Sawtell and Trevor Kavanagh.

External links

• IPSO website