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IMPRESS Annual Report 2019–20 XLIX THE INDEPENDENT MONITOR FOR THE PRESS 2019–20 ANNUAL REPORT IMPRESS, 16–18 New Bridge Street, London, EC4V 6AG T 020 3325 4288 E [email protected] W impress.press @impressreg /impress-press W impress.press @impressreg /impress-press IMPRESS Annual Report 2019–20 1 Contents Welcome to the IMPRESS Annual Report 2019–20. In these pages, you will find an overview of our regulatory services, public interest and public engagement activities between 1 April 2019 and 31 March 2020. More information, as well as digital versions of our previous annual reports, is available at www.impress.press. THE VIEW FROM THE CHAIR 2 THE VIEW FROM THE CEO 3 ABOUT IMPRESS 4 IMPRESS Standards Code 5 HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2019–20 6 WHAT WE'VE DONE THIS YEAR 7 Public engagement and education 7 Public interest and policy work 9 Services and benefits for regulated publishers 10 Standards and #HighQualityReporting 11 COVID-19 response 11 Media Coverage 11 TRUST IN JOURNALISM CONFERENCE 2019 12 IMPRESS AND THE REGULATORY COMMUNITY 16 Reporters Without Borders 16 Alliance of Independent Press Councils of Europe (AIPCE) 17 Global delegations 17 Additional regulatory engagement 17 IMPRESS STANDARDS 19 Supporting #HighQualityReporting 19 Code Committee 19 Services 20 STANDARDS FOCAL POINTS 2019–20 23 WHO WE REGULATE 24 REGULATORY REPORT 27 Applications to IMPRESS and Regulated Publications 27 Referrals to IMPRESS 28 Complaints case studies 30 Compliance process and procedures 33 BOARD 38 PANELS AND COMMITTEES 40 STAFF 41 REGULATED PUBLICATIONS 42 W impress.press @impressreg /impress-press 2 IMPRESS Annual Report 2019–20 The view from the Chair Almost four years ago, theories abound, the demand board members of IMPRESS IMPRESS became the first for trusted sources of news is who concluded their terms regulator to be officially greater than ever. With the of office. Emma Jones, Máire approved as independent crisis still ongoing, we will Messenger Davies and Patrick and effective by the Press continue to support publishers Swaffer all played a substantial Recognition Panel under to work to the highest role in helping us get to the Royal Charter on self- standards, help members of the the strong position we find regulation of the press. As public to get access to effective ourselves in now. means of redress, and ensure such, IMPRESS sets the Finally, I want to thank the that well-regulated journalists gold standard of publicly Independent Press Regulation are able to continue to work accountable regulation for Trust for its continued funding safely bringing trustworthy print and digital press. support for IMPRESS, and the news to their readers. I am pleased to report Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust another year of continued This year has also seen changes for providing additional funding progress in our mission to to our staff and board. In this year for our independent raise press standards in the March 2020, we welcomed Ed publishers taskforce. UK. The journalism produced Procter as our new CEO. Having I look to the future with by IMPRESS-regulated been our Chief Operations renewed confidence in our publications currently reaches Officer for four years, Ed is mission of raising standards over 15 million readers now leading the Executive and the quality of reporting each month, through a team into a new and exciting in the UK. We go into 2020–21 network of local, national, and period of development with the challenge of finding international newspapers and for IMPRESS. Responding new and better ways to websites, reaching diverse and to recommendations of support journalists and under-served communities. By the Cairncross review into audiences in a rapidly voluntarily joining IMPRESS, the sustainability of high- changing environment, publishers have demonstrated quality journalism, we took offline and online. their commitment to high- the initiative to support the quality, publicly accountable establishment of the Public reporting. Interest News Foundation through the secondment of At IMPRESS, we are leading the IMPRESS founder Jonathan way in driving up standards. Heawood. The Foundation has I look forward to embarking been registered as a charity and on the first review of our is positioning itself to provide Code from November 2020. financial and other much Led by our Code Committee, needed support to high-quality, this process provides us with public interest journalism. a great opportunity to tackle some of the key standards I want to thank the board and issues the industry faces in the committees for their support digital age. We will be reaching and for the part they play out to stakeholders and in our effectively governed organisation. I would like to members of the public to take welcome four distinguished part in this review, and to help individuals to the board. Shelina ensure that our Code remains Janmohamed, Pam Vick, fit for purpose for the future. Debrah Harding and Cordella The COVID-19 pandemic Bart-Stewart bring new skills has presented a host of new and experiences and we are challenges for publishers and already benefitting from their Walter Merricks CBE journalists. In an era where contributions. I also want to Chair disinformation and conspiracy thank three of the original October 2020 IMPRESS, 16–18 New Bridge Street, London, EC4V 6AG T 020 3325 4288 E [email protected] IMPRESS Annual Report 2019–20 3 The view from the CEO This has been another closely with key stakeholders As we move into 2020–21, I successful year at and partners on central look forward to leading our IMPRESS, marked by new regulatory and reporting staff into the next phase partnerships, increasing challenges. We continued of IMPRESS’s growth, membership, the expansion working closely with the working with our board, of our Trust in Journalism Alliance of Independent committees, publishers conference, and our Press Councils of Europe and wider stakeholders to engagement with online (AIPCE), exchanged develop the vision that will harms legislation. ideas with international guide us in the coming delegations, worked with years; a vision that finds We have been fully engaged new ways of meeting an Reporters Without Borders in understanding the impact increasing demand for trust in the development of of proposed online harms and accountability in digital their Journalism Trust legislation on the news news. websites that we regulate, Initiative (JTI), and produced and are fully supportive of materials and guidance Finally, I would like to pay Government plans to exempt with the Market Research tribute to our patron, Sir well-regulated websites from Society (MRS), the Conscious Harry Evans. Sir Harry the new regulations. This is Advertising Network, was a great supporter of an important opportunity JournoResources, the IMPRESS, and a remarkable for legislation to incentivise Transparency Project and journalist and person, news websites to join an Protect, among others. who understood the role approved self-regulatory that regulation plays in body as an alternative to In November 2019, we protecting the freedom coming under the remit of hosted our second Trust in and integrity of journalism. a statutory online harms Journalism Conference with He will be missed, but his regulator which is designed great success. Almost twenty legacy certainly lives on. principally to regulate the national and international large social media platforms. speakers joined us on the day to talk about the role of This year at IMPRESS, we transparency and training in were happy to see our building trust and the future membership growing of public interest news. steadily, with a 9% growth November 2020 will see the in regulated publications. third edition of this annual As this report goes to print, event presented online with we regulate 94 publishers, scope to reach an even wider who collectively publish audience. 158 titles. We are attracting an increasing number of I am excited to have previously unregulated taken over the CEO role at newspapers and news IMPRESS, following Jonathan websites into self-regulation. Heawood’s secondment to However, too many the Public Interest News newspapers and websites Foundation (PINF) and I continue to sit outside the look forward to working with remit of a self-regulatory Jonathan to ensure that body and better incentives IMPRESS and PINF serve are needed to encourage journalism and the general them to sign up to approved public in complementary regulation. ways, with the support of our A central part of our work respective boards of directors Ed Procter in 2019–20 involved working and trustees. CEO W impress.press @impressreg /impress-press 4 IMPRESS Annual Report 2019–20 About IMPRESS IMPRESS is a press regulator working on behalf of the public to raise the standards of print and digital news reporting and content in the UK. We support news providers to develop and professionalise their internal governance and complaints management processes, so that they are accountable to their readers and can build trust with them. We provide guidance and resources for publishers to strengthen their editorial decision-making and content quality, to ensure that they are working to high standards. Our IMPRESS community is growing. At the time of print of this report, we regulate 150+ digital and print publications across the UK, reaching more than 15 million readers each month, including underserved and diverse communities. More news brands join us each quarter. Journalism and Approved Regulation Born in 2015 following the recommendations of the Leveson Inquiry, IMPRESS continues to be the only self-regulatory body to be approved under the Royal Charter on self-regulation of the press. This means that we comply with the 29 recognition criteria of independence and effectiveness as set out in the Charter. These criteria include having an independent board free from the influence of serving editors and politicians, having an independent Appointment Panel, and having a Standards Code under the control of the Board, which addresses freedom of speech and public interest.