An independent press watchdog group has added its voice to the debate on privacy and media intrusion.

The PressWise Trust is dedicated to protecting the public from media misbehaviour – but is demanding privacy protection that is available to everyone and not just the rich.

Director Mike Jempson highlighted the recent case of Catherine Zeta Jones’ wedding photos and said it showed that legal recourse was only available to those who fight through the courts.

He called for the Press Complaints Commission to be changed – perhaps to be allowed to order compensation.

Mike was making his submission to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee inquiry into privacy and media intrusion.

He said: “We made a number of suggestions about what should be done to improve accountability and trust.

“There’s clearly a problem in people’s perceptions about what privacy means because we have these celebrity cases from people who can afford smart lawyers.

“There needs to be a backstop to self regulation so we’re proposing that a media ombudsman should be providing a route of appeal – so that if you’re not happy with the outcome of a complaint to a media regulator like the PCC or the Broadcasting Standards Commission, you have somewhere else to go.”

He also explained that some people might be concerned that judges were deciding what privacy was through celebrity cases.

He said: “Maybe what we want to do is not have a privacy law against the media, but a definition of privacy spelt out in law.

“We’re arguing against a privacy law directed at the media and offering this alternative instead of relying on arbitrary or whimsical legal decisions brought on by those who can afford smart lawyers.”

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