A group of campaigners is seeking a new middle way on press regulation with the backing of legendary former editor Sir Harold Evans.

More than 90pc of regional and national publishers have signed up to the industry’s new proposed self-regulator Ipso in defiance of the government’s proposed Royal Charter plan.

But a small number of publishers have refused to join Ipso on on the grounds that it is not sufficiently independent of the big groups.

Now former Times, Sunday Times and Northern Echo editor Sir Harold has proposed a new body called Impress – short for ‘Independent monitor for the Press’ – as a potential middle way between the rival plans.

The group’s founders say they could provide a better way of fulfilling Lord Justice Leveson’s blueprint for self-regulation within the industry and protect press freedom at the same time.

Ipso is set to be up and running by May 2014 and more than 90% of national newspapers, as well as most regional newspapers and major magazine publishers, have already signed up.

Impress founder, journalist and press freedom campaigner Jonathan Heawood, said the group would listen to, and learn from, the public.

“In poll after poll, the public has asked for robust regulation which is independent of both press and politicians. The newspaper owners’ regulator is not independent, but until today it’s been the only show in town,” he said.

Jonathan said he wanted to “have a conversation” with those newspapers which had not signed up for Ipso to see if they could offer an alternative process.

But he added: “If the people involved with Ipso would like to find common ground, I would welcome that. I’m not looking for a fight. But there needs to be more choice, especially for smaller publishers and online publishers.”

Membership of Impress would be voluntary and contractual, he said, with editors sitting on its code committee. The board would have a majority of independent members and senior industry figures would also be able to join.

The regulator would be set up in the first half of next year, and would seek recognition from the recognition panel which is to be established following the passage of the government’s royal charter for press regulation.

Sir Harold said: “I support these proposals for a regulator that would be wholly independent of government or commercial interests, committed only to enhancing the standards of the British press.

“The dual purpose of discouraging abuses and resisting encroachments on an essential liberty is altogether necessary to restore public confidence. It is a necessary condition of the freedom of the press to act in the public interest.”

The Impress Project has published its prospectus online. Its trustees are Lisa Appignanesi, who has led free speech campaigns, journalist Isabel Hilton and Professor Alastair Mullis, head of the law school at Leeds University.

More details are available online at http://impressproject.org/prospectus.