The Press Association has announced the appointments of John Bryant, Professor Peter Cole and Philip Harding to the newly-formed Press Association Trust.

The aim of The Press Association Trust is to monitor the news agency’s adherence to its principles of fast, fair and accurate reporting.

John, former editor-in-chief of the Daily and Sunday Telegraph, has been appointed as chairman and together with committee members, Peter and Philip, will meet with the editor-in-chief and editor to discuss their editorial coverage.

John Bryant has 40 years experience in the newspaper industry. He began his career at the Edinburgh Evening News and went on to be deputy editor of the Times as well as holding editorships and senior executive posts at the Sunday Correspondent, the European, the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph.

Peter Cole is Professor of Journalism at the University of Sheffield. He was founder editor of the Sunday Correspondent and deputy editor of The Guardian and has held senior editorial positions on the Sunday Times and London Evening Standard. He is on the board of the National Council for the Training of Journalists and the Society of Editors.

Philip Harding was previously the director of English Networks and News at the BBC World Service, and has held a variety of senior editorial jobs in BBC radio and television. He was editor of the Today programme and controller of editorial policy at the BBC.