Press regulation inquiry

Inquiry

The inquiry will seek to understand the current state of play on press regulation and set out what is the policy of the Government and others in relation to the future. The Committee will be holding oral evidence sessions from 13 January 2015 to look at the developments in press regulation since the Leveson report in 2012.

Background

On 29 November 2012 Lord Justice Leveson published his report into the "culture, practices and ethics of the press". The Leveson report found that, “There have been too many times when, chasing the story, parts of the press have acted as if its own code, which it wrote, simply did not exist. This has caused real hardship and, on occasion, wreaked havoc with the lives of innocent people whose rights and liberties have been disdained.”

In response to the Leveson report, on 30 October 2013, a Royal Charter on press regulation was granted. This allowed for one or more independent self-regulatory bodies for the press to be established. Any such body would be recognised and overseen by a Recognition Panel. This Panel came into existence on 3 November 2014.

The Press Complaints Commission, which had been the voluntary regulatory body for the industry, closed in September 2014. It was replaced by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). In November 2014 a second body, the Independent Monitor for the Press (IMPRESS) was set up. Neither of these bodies has, as yet, sought recognition under the Royal Charter.