Newspapers: The Daily Mirror Typeit

There is a serious ongoing debate surrounding the morals and standards British newspapers should be held to. The Daily and The Sun were two of the publications caught at the centre of this debate. For example, both papers were forced to pay substantial for the damning way in which they reported on a murder suspect (who was eventually revealed to be innocent). Until recently, British newspapers and magazines were regulated by the (PCC), a body of voluntary representatives of each major publisher. However, the PCC was disbanded in 2014 following the infamous phone scandal in which the private voicemail messages of various celebrities, politicians and murder victims were illegally accessed and listened to. This was evident among a number of journalists and private investigators working for the papers owned by Rupert Murdoch’s conglomerate, . The owners admitted there had been hacking and , the former sister paper to The Sun, was permanently closed. The Daily Mirror was also found guilty of such practices, leading to the company Mirror (now Reach PLC) paying damages.

Much of this misconduct was discussed and exposed in the inquiry: an investigation into the ethics of the British press announced by then Prime Minister . It was agreed in the inquiry that British news publications should be self-regulated but ultimately monitored by an unbiased organisation and that this organisation should have the liberty to respond to public complaints and hold British publications to proper professional standards. Most British newspapers are now regulated by the (IPSO), an independent body created to advise journalists and editors of appropriate ethical approaches, uphold standards, and handle complaints from the public in a fair and balanced way. This new body is aided by the Editors’ Code of . This enables the press to publish any story which serves the interest of the people and also monitors breaches in ethical standards. The code addresses multiple issues ranging from the accuracy of stories and invasion of privacy to press harassment and the reporting of suicide.

was the second regulatory body to be formed, by grant of Royal Charter, in the UK. However, most of the country’s major newspapers continue to be overseen by IPSO. This supposedly allows the newspapers more journalistic freedom. In 2017, the Conservative government chose not to implement the second stage of the recommendations made by Lord Leveson. This decision was highly controversial, particularly for the pressure group named which seeks justice on behalf of the victims of phone hacking. This ongoing debate is a major example of the difficulties faced by media regulatory bodies in the UK. These issues are explored in more depth by media theorists Sonia and Peter .