A conscience clause for journalists and improved media self-regulation are the targets for the National Union of Journalists as it puts pressure on the Culture Media and Sport Select Committee next month.

The union has already given written evidence to the committee. The submission attacks the failure of the current system of self-regulation and calls for more rights for journalists to refuse assignments which are in breach of industry codes of practice.

Union general secretary Jeremy Dear and Professor Chris Frost, chair of the union's Ethics Council, will appear before the Commons Committee investigation in to privacy next week.

The written submission states: "The balance needs to be swung back to the professional journalists to make a decision about the story on which they are working rather than the editor whose loyalties must be influenced by the importance of raising circulation and profits.

"The editor should decide what goes into the paper applying the Press Complaints Commission Code of practice, whilst the journalist must have some say about the ethics of collecting and sourcing the story, also applying the code.

"The NUJ also firmly believes that journalists should have individual legal protection to refuse assignments that they believe are in breach of the PCC’s code of practice."