Hacked Off responds to Maria Miller on Marr

03/11/2013

A spokesman said:'Mrs Miller is right to say that under the Royal Charter granted last week the press can set up its own self-regulator and if it meets the basic standards of independence and effectiveness set down in the Charter it will be recognised and its members will enjoy substantial benefits.'The IPSO scheme put forward by the big newspaper groups does not at present meet those standards and a significant number of changes would be necessary relating to both independence and effectiveness before it could be recognised.'If those behind IPSO make those changes in full, and IPSO can then achieve recognition under the Charter, Hacked Off believes that the public would finally have the kind of redress in cases of press abuses that Lord Justice Leveson recommended.'We urge proprietors and editors to make the necessary changes so that IPSO complies with Royal Charter standards.'Mrs Miller is misinformed if she has suggested that the Royal Charter might then be redundant. The Leveson Report made clear that any press self-regulator would need to be subject to regular inspection over the years to ensure that its standards did not decline and it did not decay into another Press Complaints Commission. That is a key role of the body established under Royal Charter and it is not now within the power of Mrs Miller or any other politician to prevent the Charter body operating in that way.'Mrs Miller suggests that campaign groups are pressing for statutory regulation. This is curious. We know of no organisation or individuals in this country seeking statutory regulation of the press. No one who gave evidence to the Leveson Inquiry called for statutory regulation, and the inquiry's report stated that it had been unable to detect any demand for statutory regulation in Britain. Perhaps Mrs Miller could say whom she has in mind.'

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