Government Press Regulations

The National Heritage Secretary, Virginia Bottomley yesterday set out steps to toughen self regulation of the press in order to curb abuses of privacy. She told the House of Commons that the Government continued to believe that self regulation of the press was the right way forward.

Mrs Bottomley announced that she had written to Lord Wakeham, Chairman of the Press Complaints Commission (PCC), setting out improvements the Government wished to see both in the procedures of the PCC and in the newspaper industry’s Code of Practice.

Mrs Bottomley has recommended:

* That the PCC pays out compensation to those who have had their privacy abused by the press. Awards would be paid for by an industry fund.

* Other ways in which the Code of Practice could be tightened up to put more emphasis on the protection of individual privacy include:

1. a clearer definition of privacy.

2. clearer language about the requirement that journalists should not remain on private property after being asked to leave.

3. a toughening of Clause 10 which requires journalists to make any intrusion into grief and shock with sympathy and discretion. The Government believes that journalists do not have any right to intrude into grief or shock unless it is with consent or in the public interest.

* A direct and rapid line of communication between the Chairman and newspaper editors to warn them if there was a belief that the code was about to be breached and to head off abuses.

* A well publicised PCC to ensure that the public have rapid and direct access.

Mrs Bottomley said it was particularly important to improve the Code of Practice to achieve a fairer balance between press and individuals, and to strengthen the PCC’s procedures to provide better remedies for the public.