A former editor of the Newcastle Chronicle has been passing on her experience to journalism and media students in Cornwall.
Alison Hastings, who is also a former Press Complaints Commission (PCC) member, highlighted the essential 16 codes that underpin the industry’s standards.
She told students that the PCC was still adjudicating on complaints and it was up to the industry and politicians to sort out what comes next.
The mother-of-five, who edited the Newcastle Chronicle from 1996 to 2002, added that the PCC’s code would continue to exist in the future.
“We at the PCC think it is vitally important young journalists understand their obligation under the code of practice,” she told thisiscornwall.
Alison said that the number of complaints to the PCC had not dropped, although the advent of email had made them more vociferous.
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Journalists get all the PCC regulations in their training, or at least they should.
Someone should also give them a talk about we reporters are the lowest people on the totem pole in the newspapers industry; at least at the regional level.
Less money than a binman; no incentive to find exclusive other than professional pride, despite your papers selling stories to news agencies; ad people who think news space is something they can use to sell adverts, to the point that people expect it when they advertise; PR people with no idea of where you work, and who might even try to lecture you on what is and isn’t news.
These are just some of the delight I would impart on eager young recruits.
Other than that though, it’s a laugh, right?
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