The Press Complaints Commission today set out the clear case for press self regulation, alongside evidence of how the PCC and the editors’ Code of Practice work in the interests of ordinary people.
Two crucial documents – the collected evidence for the Government’s inquiry into privacy and media intrusion and the media watchdog’s annual review – are being published.
The 288-page submission document – alongside a further 250 pages of supporting evidence – sets out :
Acting chairman Robert Pinker said: “Above all, it sets out in a clear and accountable fashion how we have fulfilled in abundance the mission set us by the Calcutt Report of 1990 – to become a swift and effective dispute resolution body for individuals with a grievance about a newspaper or magazine.”
The full text of the Submission – including an executive summary of the key points is available on the PCC’s website and can be found by clicking here.
Alongside the submission to the Select Committee, the Commission is publishing its Annual Review 2002, Fast, Free and Fair, which sets out complaints handling statistics for last year, as well as reports from Robert Pinker and Code Committee chairman Les Hinton.
The Review includes – for the first time – statistics dealing with how satisfied complainants are about the service they receive from the PCC.
There is also a report about how the PCC measured up to the service standards it sets itself in its Complainants’ Charter. This includes the average time to handle a complaint which at 32 working days is equal to the record of last year – and far faster than could ever be achieved under any form of statutory regulation. The number of complaints received in 2002 was 2,630 – down on the record number of 2001, but slightly higher than the average for the previous three years.
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