A former regional journalist is set to play a leading role in rebuilding public confidence in the wake of the newspaper industry’s phone-hacking scandal.

Veteran press freedom campaigner Aidan White is the new chairman of the appointment panel of would-be regulator Impress.

The organisation is putting itself forward as a potential alternative to the Independent Press Standards Organisation IPSO, which has the backing of the national and regional press industry.

Northern Ireland-born Aidan, who worked for the Birmingham Post and Mail, is the current director of the Ethical Journalism Network – a global campaign promoting good governance and ethical conduct in media

He said:  “I look forward to working alongside the rest of the panel as we select the board of Impress that will play a crucial role in helping to build public confidence in journalism after the scandals of recent years.”

Impress founding director Jonathan Heawood welcomed ex-Guardian man Aidan as “an outstanding example of a campaigning journalist who has dedicated his career to defending the freedom and integrity of professional journalism.”