Newspaper watchdog the Press Complaints Commission received a record number of complaints in 2007 - most of which were about online stories.

A total of 4,340 complaints were submitted to the PCC - a 70 per cent increase on 12 years ago.

This is just one of the findings contained in the PCC's annual report, published today.

The watchdog says it also reinforced its digital presence by expanding its remit to encompass audio-visual material as well as more proactive, behind-the-scenes work to help ordinary people caught in the media spotlight.

Launching the 2007 annual report, PCC chairman Sir Christopher Meyer said: "Not only have we established ourselves as a fast and effective arbitrator of privacy disputes, discreetly settling over a hundred such complaints to the satisfaction of the complainant in 2007, but we also helped prevent intrusions in dozens more cases with pre-publication advice and action to disperse media scrums.

"Additionally, we made almost 250 rulings on privacy under the Code of Practice to add to our case law. Our annual report sets out in detail how we achieved this and, for the first time, includes real examples from our files.

"What's more, the flexible service offered by the PCC is clearly sought-after in resolving complaints about digital media. This is because, when information can go round the world in the blink of an eye, consumers are chiefly demanding quick solutions to their problems.

"The majority of complaints in 2007 – for the first time – concerned articles as they appeared online, not in the paper.

"I believe that 2007 has shown, more than ever before, the PCC to be worthy of the increasing confidence that is being placed in us, by the industry, by the political establishment and – most importantly – by the members of the public who use our wide-ranging services."

Click through to read a summary of the PCC's annual report.

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