Some of the UK’s most senior and respected academics have today rejected plans put forward by the newspaper industry for continued self-regulation of the press.In a letter published in today’s Financial Times, 26 of the country’s leading professors in journalism, law and politics expressed their opposition to the proposals being advanced by Lord Hunt and Lord Black, arguing that their scheme was “an attempt to perpetuate self-regulation by editors, an approach that has been shown over nearly 60 years to have failed both journalists and newspaper readers”.Newspapers owners and editors recently launched a “Free Speech Network”, a coalition of publishing groups claiming that freedom of speech would somehow be imperilled by making newspapers more accountable.But the letter, endorsed by free-speech advocates, distinguished former journalists, and educators on Britain’s leading journalism courses, demonstrates that the newspapers’ self-serving argument is not supported by independent academics. They urge all those interested in promoting a “healthy, fair and free press” to reject the industry’s proposals and await the recommendations of the Leveson Inquiry.Coming in the wake of two separate polls showing that the vast majority of the general public does not trust the industry to regulate itself, this letter from some of Britain’s most eminent scholars in the field is further evidence of the industry’s isolation.The letter and full list of signatories is below:

We are free speech advocates and senior educators of law and journalism students in British universities and we write to express our opposition to proposals for a new self-regulatory body for the press that have been put forward by Lord Hunt, the chair of the Press Complaints Commission (PCC), and Lord Black, the chair of the Press Standards Board of Finance. We do not believe these proposals to be in the best interests of journalists and journalism. The Hunt-Black scheme is an attempt to perpetuate self-regulation by editors, an approach that has been shown over nearly 60 years to have failed both journalists and newspaper readers – a failure that led to the establishment of the Leveson Inquiry. While the new scheme incorporates some features not seen in the discredited PCC, we believe these changes are insufficient to promote good journalism or to protect the public from the kinds of abuses highlighted so vividly in evidence to Lord Justice Leveson. We urge all parties interested in a healthy, fair and free press to reject the Hunt-Black proposals and to await the judge’s recommendations, which are due in the coming weeks.

Prof Stuart Allen, Professor of Journalism, University of BournemouthProf Steven Barnett, Professor of Communications, University of WestminsterProf John Corner, Visiting Professor in Communications Studies, University of LeedsProf James Curran, Professor of Communications, Goldsmiths, University of LondonProf Mike Feintuck, Professor of Law, University of HullProf Natalie Fenton, Professor of Communications, Goldsmiths, University of LondonProf Matthew Flinders, Professor of Politics, University of SheffieldDr Des Freedman, Reader in Communications and Cultural Studies, Goldsmiths, University of LondonProf Chris Frost, Professor of Journalism, Liverpool John Moores UniversityProf Ivor Gaber, Research Professor in Media and Politics, University of BedfordshireProf Thomas Gibbons, Professor of Law, University of ManchesterProf Ian Hargreaves, Professor of Digital Economy, Cardiff UniversityProf Jackie Harrison, Professor of Public Communication, University of SheffieldProf David Hutchison, Visiting Professor in Media Policy, Glasgow Caledonian UniversityProf Justin Lewis, Professor of Communication, Cardiff UniversityProf Joni Lovenduski, Professor of Politics, Birkbeck, University of LondonDr Tim Markham, Reader in Journalism and Media, Birkbeck, University of LondonProf Maire Messenger Davies, Professor of Media Studies, University of UlsterProf Graham Murdock, Professor of Culture and Economy, Loughborough UniversityProf Ralph Negrine, Professor of Political Communication, University of SheffieldProf Julian Petley, Professor of Screen Media, Brunel UniversityProf Greg Philo, Professor of Communications, University of GlasgowProf Richard Sambrook, Professor of Journalism, Cardiff UniversityProf Philip Schlesinger, Professor in Cultural Policy, University of GlasgowProf Jean Seaton, Professor of Media History, University of WestminsterProf Frank Webster, Professor of Sociology, City UniversityProf Lorna Woods, Professor of Law, City University