IMPRESS Annual Report 2017-18
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The Independent Monitor for the Press Annual Report 2017–18 1 Contents Annual Report 2017–18 Welcome to the IMPRESS Annual Report 2017–18. In these pages, you will find information about our activities between 1 April 2017 and 31 March 2018. More information, as well as the Annual Report 2016–17, is available at impress.press. IMPRESS THE VIEW FROM THE CHAIR 2 THE VIEW FROM THE CEO 3 WHO WE ARE 4 WHAT WE’VE DONE THIS YEAR 5 Recognition 5 Public interest 5 Public engagement 6 Media coverage 7 Services for regulated publishers 7 IN FOCUS: THE IMPRESS ARBITRATION SCHEME 8 Arbitration case study 8 IN FOCUS: THE IMPRESS STANDARDS CODE 9 COMPLAINTS CASE STUDIES 10 WHO WE REGULATE (as of 31 August 2018) 12 REGULATORY REPORT 13 Applications to IMPRESS 13 Regulated publishers 13 Compliance process and procedures 14 Referrals to IMPRESS 16 1. Complaints 16 2. Requests for arbitrations 18 3. Advisory notice requests 19 4. IMPRESS-initiated investigations 19 Complaint volumes 20 BOARD 24 CODE COMMITTEE 25 APPOINTMENT PANEL 25 FINANCE & AUDIT COMMITTEE 25 STAFF 26 REGULATED PUBLICATIONS 28 IMPRESS, 16–18 New Bridge Street, London, EC4V 6AG T 020 3325 4288 E [email protected] W impress.press @impressproject /impress-press II IMPRESS Annual Report 2017–18 IMPRESS Annual Report 2017–18 3 The view from the Chair The view from the CEO Walter Merricks CBE Jonathan Heawood Last year we laid the first and so far only press Code Committee. We also At IMPRESS, we are consultations and roundtables I am looking forward to it foundations for a new regulator to be approved under appointed experienced police excited about the future. on topics such as data very much. The conference the post-Leveson framework investigator and ombudsman protection, media law and will build on the podcast publicly accountable was confirmed, when the services professional Stephen That’s why we like to get the impact of social media and webinar programme we regulator, designed for Divisional Court upheld the Thacker to the role of Service out and about, speaking at on democracy. We also introduced this year as we the digital age. This year Press Recognition Panel’s Complaint Reviewer, with conferences, writing articles, incorporated the new code seek to provide engaging we have begun to build decision to recognise us. We responsibility for independently blogging, tweeting, podcasting into our Regulatory Scheme and relevant training and and talking directly to our on those foundations. have begun to demonstrate investigating complaints about and started to use it as our information for our members our regulatory independence the service standards provided members and the British benchmark for journalistic and the public. We announced our 100th and effectiveness through by IMPRESS. public. We want to understand standards. More than anything this year, I regulated publication as our our first two IMPRESS- how the news business is We look forward to increasing Sadly, press regulation have enjoyed working with the exciting, innovative and diverse initiated investigations and changing, and what audiences the number of publishers continues to be a political outstanding group of people network of independent news the publication of our first expect from today’s journalism we regulate and continuing football, and this year our role who make up the IMPRESS providers continues to grow. ten adjudications, five of – not only in the UK, but to provide publishers and has been widely debated in staff, board and committees, As I write we regulate a total which resulted in front page around the world. That way, we journalists with the support Parliament and the media. and our regulated publishers of 64 publishers and 109 corrections. We also published can make sure that IMPRESS they need to do their Many people have celebrated across the UK. I would like to publications. I would like to the first two arbitrations by meets the needs of the future, job, whilst protecting the IMPRESS’s achievements. thank them all for being part wish a warm welcome to the a UK press regulator, both of not the past. public through a system of Others have taken a more of this exciting journey. 32 new publishers who came which resulted in awards of transparent and accountable In June, I travelled to Norway critical view. We try to follow under our regulatory remit compensation to members regulation. to take part in the Holberg Kipling’s advice, and treat our this year including national of the public. We have now Symposium in honour of the admirers and detractors just publishers such as The Canary, extended our Arbitration We remain strongly committed British philosopher Onora the same. There are certainly niche investigative publishers Scheme to include data to our goal of rebuilding public O’Neill, a world expert on things we can learn from such as Bellingcat, business protection claims and have trust in the news organisations media ethics and regulation. everyone; and we remain publishers such as Iraq made it free to access for both of today and look forward to I was back in Norway in committed to constructive Business News and publishers publishers and members of delivering this in partnership December to debate fake dialogue with all stakeholders. of local news such as The the public so as to encourage with our regulated publishers, news and propaganda with Chichester Post, Lochside Press the speedy and affordable staff, board members, civil John Pilger and Julian Assange As this Annual Report goes and Now Then Manchester. A resolution of disputes. society stakeholders and the (who, ironically, appeared by to press, we are finalising the further 16 publishers applied general public. plans for our inaugural Trust We completed an internal video link from London...). to join us during the past year in Journalism conference, review of our governance and we are in the process of Last year, many experts to be held in London on arrangements and agreed supporting them through our contributed to the consultation 6 November. It will be the a new code of conduct and pre-regulation compliance on the IMPRESS Standards first time that the British extended public register of process. Code. This year, we returned independent media sector Jonathan Heawood board members interests. the favour, taking part in has gathered together, and Chief Executive Officer IMPRESS has firmly We strengthened the media established itself as the industry experience of our regulator of choice for the board by appointing two independent news sector. exceptional journalists: award- Our membership now winning Guardian investigative reaches all parts of the United journalist David Leigh and Kingdom from the north of broadcast producer and Scotland to the south-west of former Independent Editorial England, via Wales, Northern Adviser to the BBC Trust Ireland and almost every Andrea Wills. We appointed English region. external relations consultant Walter Merricks CBE In October, our status as the Jonathan Collett to our Chair Annual Report 2017–18 IMPRESS 2 4 IMPRESS Annual Report 2017–18 5 Who we are What we’ve done this year IMPRESS is a press regulator designed to work in the digital age. At a time when quality journalism is under more pressure than ever, we provide publishers and journalists with the protection and the support they need to do their job. Annual Report 2017–18 Recognition We regulate 100+ digital and print publications across the UK, reaching more than Last year, IMPRESS was the Scheme and rules; to operate activity of a minority of our 8 million monthly readers, with more publishers applying to join us every month. first press regulator to be an effective complaints board. We implemented the recognised as independent handling service and Arbitration recommendations of the IMPRESS and effective under the Royal Scheme; and to be open to all review in full by adopting a What we do Charter for Self-Regulation of publishers on a fair and non- new code of conduct, posting the Press. This year, we have discriminatory basis. comprehensive declarations of interest of all board members started to deliver and develop A Judicial Review by the News on our website, amending We work in partnership with the public, publishers and key stakeholders to raise our services to the public in Media Association (NMA) of our Articles of Association the standards of journalism. Our goal is to rebuild public trust in the news accordance with the standards the PRP’s decision to recognise to provide for the removal set out in the Royal Charter. IMPRESS was comprehensively organisations of today, as a fundamental pillar of democracy. of a board member who is defeated in the Divisional These standards, which are no longer able to act fairly We offer an externally approved scheme of press regulation designed for digital and Court in October 2017. The carefully monitored by the or impartially, implementing print publications. This includes: Court’s decision endorsed the Press Recognition Panel (PRP), a system of regulatory robust and transparent process require us to be properly committees and increasing the • A progressive Standards Code which led to our recognition by funded with no possibility of number of board members the PRP. • A straightforward complaints handling system for the public to seek redress influence or control by the with industry experience of when needed press industry, politicians or any We undertook an internal the press. third party; to own and control review of our governance in • Free arbitration to reduce legal costs our Standards Code, Regulatory response to the social media • Additional protection for publishers through a low-cost insurance scheme Public interest This year we have Participating in public debates from the OSCE (Organization APPG on the Media.