Press watchdog the Press Complaint Commission has put forward evidence to “explode the myth” that it was only the rich and famous that complained about newspapers.
Launching the Commission’s 2003 Review, chairman Sir Christopher Meyer quoted statistics that showed that the general public made use of its services.
He said he would be sending copies of the annual review to critics who thought the Commission was unconcerned with protecting ordinary people while running a “Rolls-Royce service” for celebrities.
Copies would also be going to those who thought privacy issues were becoming the preserve of the law instead of the industry watchdog.
He said the report showed:
Chairman Sir Christopher Meyer said: “Privacy issues overwhelmingly concern ordinary members of the public who are caught up in the media spotlight for one reason or another.
“These are the people that we are primarily here to help: people who simply do not have the resources, the time, or the willingness to expose themselves to more publicity to try their chances in the courts.”
There was no need to use a lawyer at all to get satisfaction, he said.
“But when people do – and they must be free to do so – our report warns that the process will take up to 50 per cent longer, that it will cost them money for a service that is free, and that it will have no discernible effect on the outcome.”
Since Sir Christopher took up his post in March, he has been on a steep learning curve about the Commission’s work.
Speaking in Glasgow at the West of Scotland Newspaper Press Fund Annual Lunch, he told his audience: “Let it not be said, for instance, that the Commission is not a ‘proactive’ body: PCC staff are engaged in countless initiatives aimed at educating people before things go wrong about how the Code of Practice can help them.
“And it is a myth that the Commission has to wait for a complaint before acting in all cases where there may be a breach of the Code.
“There are three areas of the Code – the so-called ‘victimless’ clauses relating to financial journalism and payments to witnesses and criminals – where it has long been Commission policy to investigate a matter of concern without the benefit of a complaint.”
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