Commenting on the news that IPSO have appointed Sir Joseph Pilling to audit themselves, Dr Evan Harris, Joint Executive Director of Hacked Off, said:"This external audit of IPSO is not independent and nor is it directed to the criteria needed for a regulator to be deemed as independent or effective. Those criteria were set out carefully in the Leveson Report after a 15month Judge-led Public Inquiry."Whatever the attributes of the individual appointed, this review fails to address directly the points deemed necessary for independence and effectiveness by the Leveson Inquiry, and the reviewer has been appointed by IPSO itself (through the Appointments Panel that IPSO itself appointed) according to terms of reference which were also set by IPSO.“It is of course no surprise that a sham regulator has commissioned a sham audit.“Whatever the outcome of this review it will never have any real legitimacy because it is itself a rejection of the Leveson proposals for truly independent appraisal against specific criteria. It is an industry-controlled sham regulator creating its own review as an alternative to any public accountability. At least the PCC had the grace not to go through this sort of charade.”Notes to editors

1. Sir Joseph Pilling was appointed by the IPSO Appointments Panel.
2. The IPSO Appointments Panel has never published any of its procedures or minutes, gives a veto to press representatives (Mirror Group editor Lloyd Embley and the Chair of the newspaper Industry Trade body, the NMA, Adrian Jeakins), does not publicly declare a register of interests, and it also includes the Chair of the body the appointee is supposed to audit.
3. No details have been given of how much Sir Joseph is to be paid by the body he is auditing or reviewing.
4. There is no reference to Leveson’s carefully crafted criteria (after a 15month Public Inquiry) in the terms of reference that the reviewer has been given.