The Press Complaints Commission (PCC)

- The PCC was set up in 1991 to replace the Press Council
- It's an independent body that deals with complaints about editorial content for newspapers and magazines in the UK, this includes their websites
- The PCC is not a legal system, it is a voluntary organisation which allows the newspaper and magazine industry to be self-regulated without government interference
- The commission has a code of practice which is drawn up by a committee of editors, establishing what is acceptable conduct
- The commission primarily consists of public members - with 10/17 members having no connections to the press industry
- The PCC administers a 16 clause Code of Practice which acts as rules that editors and journalists must adhere to. They can be broken down into 4 main sections;

• Accuracy
• Privacy
• News gathering
• Protecting the vulnerable

- The PCC investigates complaints from people who believe that the code has been broken - either in a published article or in the way a journalist obtained material

- The PCC acts as mediator to help the editor and the complainant agree on a way to resolve the dispute where there is a problem (For example; apology, correction)

- If the problem cannot be settled in this way, the commission will assess the evidence from both sides in the dispute and will issue a formal judgement on the complaint  

- If the commission upholds the complaint, the newspaper or magazine in question must publish the PCC's critical adjudication in full in a prominent place in the newspaper

- Sometimes the PCC will consider during the course of its investigation if the publication offers a remedial action and does not need further action - this could include publishing a correction or writing a private letter

- The PCC's code doesn't cover taste and decency as it's a democratic society (Freedom of speech etc.)

- The PCC is funded through the Press Standards Board of Finance (PressBof) which collects money from newspapers and magazines in the UK

- Each newspaper and magazine contributes in proportion to the number of people who buy and read it (Circulation)

- The service is free to members of the public and no contributions come from the public

- In 2007, 1.5%of complaints came from people in the public eye, with 95.8% from ordinary members of the public

- The Code provides special protection to particularly vulnerable groups such as children, hospital patients and those at risk of discrimination

- The majority of complaints regard regional newspapers as readers care about stories in their locality