Reforming the PCC: lessons from abroad

The current model of press regulation in the UK has failed. Journalism ethics in future needs to be enforced by a more robust organisation with support from a wider group of stakeholders. Where the old system had strengths they must be built upon and lessons learned from the experience of the PCC and European counterparts. In the long term, it is likely that ethical codes will be applied to journalism rather than a particular mode of delivery. Current reforms should establish incentives for the development of a cross media ethics body to which journalists on all platforms are able to opt- in, supported by legal and fiscal incentives. There is a role for the state in press self-regulation, in providing incentives to join, setting criteria for the formation of a self-regulatory body, and/or part funding the body. There is a range of options between light state support for self-regulation and co-regulation, but other press and journalism councils have state involvement without state capture. The PCC’s replacement should be a genuinely multi-stakeholder body designed to balance interests of the public, journalists and owners. The body should therefore be established by both media owners and journalists, with prominent public representation, and cover all media. Lay members of the public should be involved in decisions.