The PCC (Press Complaints Comission)

What does the PCC do?

• The Press Complaints Commission (PCC) is an independent self-regulatory body which deals with complaints about the editorial content of newspapers and magazines and their websites

• They use the Code of Pracice (the 16 clauses) as their rules which editors and journalists must follow

• The PCC will investigate when they receive a complaint by someone directly affected

• The PCC will attempt to help the editor and complainant to agree on a way to resolve the issue, such as a published apology or clarification

How does the system work?

• The system is not legal and not run by the government

• It is based on a voluntary agreement by the newspaper and magazine industry to allow itself to be regulated by and independant body

• Code of Practice is drawn up by a comitee of editiors- the commission itself has a clear majority of public members

• Some of the comissioners have no connection to the media at all (no newspapers or magazines)

• None of the PCCs staff are connected to the industry

What does the code of practice cover?

 • The code covers 4 main areas: accurary, privacy, news gathering and protecting the vulnerable

• An editor is expected to take responsibility for all the stories and photographs that appear in their publication and to ensure that they comply with the code

• The code does not cover issues of taste and decency

• The PCC recognises that in a democratic society newspapers have the freedom and right to publish whatever they want

• Advertising such as billboards which are much more publically on display, taste and decency apply more

How is the PCC funded?

• Funded through the Press Standards Board of Finance which is responsible for collecting money from newspapers and magazines in the UK

• The press has agreed that each newspaper or magazine should contribute an amount in proportion to the number of people who buy it and read it so big newspapers eg. 'The Sun' will pay more than small local newspapers eg. 'Enfield Independent'

• PCC does not receive any money from government or the public

History of the PCC?

• The PCC was set up in 1991

• It replaced the Press Council which had been set up in 1953

• In the 1980's a small number of publications failed to observe the basic ethics of journalism and this led many MPs to lose confidence in the Press Council

• The PCC shows that non-statutory regulation works just as well as government controlled regulation 

Who complains to the PCC and what do they complain about?

• The PCC will acept complaints from anyone who thinks an article involving them breaches the code in some way

• Most complaints ordinary people, only 1.5% of complaints were celebrities and the other 98.5% were ordinary people

• The code provides special attention to particularly vunerable groups such as children, hospital patients and minority groups

Why is the PCC important?

• In a democratic society, we should have the right to free press, so the press should not subject to control by the law or govenrment

• The PCC is independant and voluntary organisation

• PCC commited to protecting the public by ensuring when rules are broken they are put right

• The PCC is fast and free