The Press Complaints commission, which is the industry body which attempts to regulate the printed media, and now the corresponding websites, is engaged in a “Governance Review” – and is wanting responses by January 25th 2010.
The commission last had the attention of bloggers when a proposal was made by the PCC Chairman Baroness Buscombe that they should be regulated by the PCC. Unity, at Liberal Conspiracy, organised a response which drew expressions of support from perhaps 300 bloggers over the following 3 days.
Tim Ireland has been organising an excellent response , based around these five specific proposals:
SUGGESTION ONE: Like-for-like placement of retractions, corrections and apologies in print and online (as standard).
SUGGESTION TWO: Original or redirected URLs for retractions, corrections & apologies online (as standard).
SUGGESTION THREE: The current Code contains no reference to headlines, and this loophole should be closed immediately.
SUGGESTION FOUR: Sources to be credited unless they do not wish to be credited or require anonymity/protection.
SUGGESTION FIVE: A longer and more interactive consultation period for open discussion of more fundamental issues.
And he has done an excellent (and noisy) video involving space invaders, which you can see here.
The PCC has a special website set up, from where you can send your submission.
The closing date is January 25th 2010.
When media executives (and the occasional columnist on a deadline) talk about ‘the problem with the web’ they often revert to a series of recurring themes. In doing so they draw on a range of discourses that betray assumptions, institutional positions and ideological leanings. I thought I’d put together a list of some common memes of hatred directed towards the internet
Read more…
Baroness Buscombe, the Chairman of the Press Complaints Commission, gave a speech this week to the Society of Editors, followed by some comments to Ian Burrell of the Independent about a desire to “regulate the blogosphere“.
The Baroness has taken several steps backwards from her previous statements to Mr Burrell, and has attempted to emphasise that any proposals would be “voluntary”.
I am sceptical as to whether this is a true change of mind, or a simply more nuanced journey aiming for the same destination by a more circuitous, and perhaps better hidden, route. Ian Burrell has pointed out that he had a direct interview with her for 40 minutes, so making that mistake would not be easy/ However, that has been addressed elsewhere by perhaps hundreds of people, with an excellent and vigorous collective letter from hundreds of bloggers.
For me, in addition to the “will we … won’t we … will we … won’t we … regulate the bloggers” game of Hokey-Cokey, this affair has highlighted a number of problems with both the Press Complaints commission, and perhaps with Baroness Buscombe herself.
From 19.45 GMT the Frontline Club will be streaming a live debate on press regulation. Participants include the Independent editor Roger Alton and Radio 4 presenter Steve Hewlett. Here’s the blurb:
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