Chief Executive's Report March 2020

PRP10(20)

PRESS RECOGNITION PANEL BOARD

CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REPORT – MARCH 2020

Meeting: by email Status: for noting

Lead responsibility: Susie Uppal, Contact details: 020 3443 7072 Chief Executive

Purpose

1. The purpose of this paper is to provide an update to the Board on Executive activity since the February 2020 CEO report.

2. The Board is invited to note the contents of the Chief Executive’s report.

Executive summary

3. The Board is being updated in respect of organisational and financial matters.

Delivery updates

Finance Update

4. A bank-reconciled set of management accounts as at 29 February 2020 is attached at Annex A. The management accounts also include the 6-month reforecast carried out in October 2019.

5. The deficit for the period to date is £28,702 against the year to date forecast of £78,621. This represents a positive variance of £49,919 compared to the year to date forecast.

6. The 6-month reforecast carried out in October 2019 did not include expenditure provision before the 31 March 2020 year end for the recruitment of Board members. It is now anticipated that expenditure of £15,300 will be incurred in March 2020.

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Business Plan 2020/21

7. The Business Plan for 2020/21 will be published on our website on 1 April 2020. Copies of the plan and the budget for the year to 31 March 2021 will be provided to the Lord Chancellor and HM Treasury for information.

Business continuity

8. Further to the government’s recent announcements we are in a good position having moved to a near virtual model last year. The Executive and the Board will however no longer be meeting in Mappin House for the near future. Board and Committee meetings will be held by telephone or video conferencing. The Executive continue to maintain regular contact through email and voice/video conferencing and all meetings with stakeholders will also be conducted ether by telephone or video conferencing. Whilst generally we have managed to get things up and running quickly there have been a few teething problems with setting up video conferencing facilities which work for everyone, especially external stakeholders. We are confident in getting these resolved in the coming days.

Annual state of recognition report

9. Our annual report on recognition system was laid in Parliament on 17 March 2020. Copies were emailed to our stakeholders and posted to the Board, Independent members and Parliamentarians. The report is available on our website - https://pressrecognitionpanel.org.uk/report-on-the-recognition-system- march-2020.

10. The Chair is happy to meet with anyone who has questions about the report and our work.

Stakeholder engagement update

11. On 27 January 2020, the Chair wrote to Baroness Morgan, the previous Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to update her on our work. The letter is attached at Annex B. On 27 February 2020, John Whittingdale MP, the current Minister of State for Media and Data, responded. His letter is attached at Annex C.

12. On 27 January 2020, the Chair wrote to Lord Faulks, the Chair of IPSO, inviting him to meet. We had met previously with his predecessor Sir Alan Moses. The Letter is attached at Annex D.

13. On 18 February 2020, the Chair wrote to the current Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Oliver Dowden CBE MP to update him on our work. The letter is attached at Annex E. The Secretary of State responded on 18 March 2020. The letter is attached at Annex F.

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14. The letters have also been published on our website.

15. Redacted.

Research update

16. Annex G includes an update on key external matters relevant to our work.

Implications

17. The implications of decisions taken by the Board as set out in this paper are as follows:

• Budget – There are no specific implications in addition to the issues referenced.

• Legislation – no specific implications.

• Resources – any resourcing considerations are referenced and there are no specific implications other than these.

• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion – no specific implications.

Devolved nations

18. There are no implications/differences in relation to the areas of work covered in this paper and the devolved nations.

Communications

19. There are no other issues to report which have communications implications, so far as I am aware.

Risks

20. There are a range of risks involved in the areas of work covered in this Paper.

21. A robust and defensible position in relation to the PRP’s finances is required in order to avoid reputational damage and to ensure compliance with HM Treasury’s Managing Public Money.

Recommendations

22. The Board is asked to note the contents of the Chief Executive’s report.

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Attachments

Annex A - Management Accounts as at 29 February 2020 Annex B – Letter from the PRP to Baroness Morgan Annex C - Letter from the John Whittingdale MP to the PRP Annex D - Letter from the PRP to Lord Faulks Annex E – Letter from the PRP to the Secretary of State Annex F – Letter from the Secretary of State to the PRP Annex G - External matters update

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Press Recognition Panel Period ended 29 February 2020

11 Months to February 2020 Full year to March 2020

Reforecast Reforecast Actual Oct 2019 Variance Explanation Budget Oct 2019 £ £ £ £ £

Income Subscription Fees 201,366 201,366 - 220,000 220,000 Bank Interest 2,396 2,672 276 2,802 2,897 Total Income 203,762 204,038 276 222,802 222,897

Expenditure Board and Committee costs Salaries & NIC 60,195 61,320 (1,125) 67,248 67,249 Travel & Subsistence - 100 (100) 240 120 Other costs - - - 4,200 - Total Board and Committee Costs 60,195 61,420 (1,225) 71,688 67,369

Communications Consultation Document & Translation - 7,000 (7,000) Forecast costs for the state of 9,600 8,300 recognition not yet incurred Website & Visuals 1,657 6,000 (4,343) Budgeted costs for website upgrades 8,256 6,043 not yet incurred Total Communications Costs 1,657 13,000 (11,343) 17,856 14,343

Other costs Executive team costs 130,100 137,334 (7,234) Exec costs not yet incurred 169,432 152,906 HR & Recruitment 338 1,297 (959) 6,080 1,480 Office costs 5,784 6,227 (443) 6,782 6,879 Meeting rooms 6,528 4,791 1,737 Additional costs relating to Nominations 5,800 5,191 Committee in January Travel & Subsistence 14 114 (100) 240 134 Information Technology 3,858 4,508 (650) 5,912 5,375 Accountancy 19,060 19,060 - 24,100 24,236 Audit Fees - - - 12,060 12,000 Printing & Stationery 824 882 (58) 1,740 902 Insurance 2,121 2,121 - 2,517 2,853 Legal - 30,000 (30,000) Provision for Legal costs not utilised 30,000 30,000

Subscriptions & publications 1,815 1,780 35 2,075 1,950 Finance charges 165 125 40 144 137 Sundry expenses 5 - 5 560 579 170,612 208,239 (37,627) 267,443 244,623

Total Expenditure 232,464 282,659 (50,195) 356,987 326,335

(Deficit) for the period (28,702) (78,621) 49,919 (134,185) (103,438)

Reserves Bfwd 787,947 787,947 787,947 787,947 Reserves Cfwd 759,245 709,326 653,762 684,509 Press Recognition Panel Period ended 29 February 2020

Feb-20 Mar-19 £ £ £ £

Current Assets

Current account 206,935 177,858 Barclays account 710,599 758,133 Cash at bank 917,534 935,991

Prepayments 3,356 5,932 Accrued Income 187 258 Third Party Deposit 369 5,609 Sundry debtors 3,912 11,799

Creditors: amounts falling due within one year Trade creditors 1,359 732 Deferred income 149,429 130,795 Credit card 1,163 453 Social security and other taxes 4,685 5,097 Pensions 1,035 1,208 Sundry creditors and accruals 4,530 21,558 162,201 159,843

Net Current Assets 759,245 787,947

Funds brought forward

Funds bought forward at 31 March 787,947 860,393

Surplus/(deficit) for the period (28,702) (72,446)

759,245 787,947

Press Recognition Panel Mappin House 4 Winsley Street London W1W 8HF

Baroness Morgan of Cotes House of Lords London SW1A 0PW

Sent by email

27 January 2020

Dear Lady Morgan of Cotes,

Congratulations on your recent appointment to the House of Lords. I am the Chair of the Press Recognition Panel (PRP), the body created by Royal Charter following the Leveson Inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the press, in the light of alleged criminal activity including phone hacking.

A key recommendation of the Leveson Inquiry was the creation of a ‘genuinely independent and effective system of self-regulation’. The new system was debated in Parliament and it received cross-party agreement.

The PRP is entirely independent of politicians, Parliament, news publishers, or any other such interest. The Royal Charter lists 29 criteria for regulators which, if met, ensure they are independent, properly funded and able to protect the public. Our role is to assess regulators against all 29 criteria.

The Royal Charter also requires the PRP to report on the extent to which the new system of regulation has succeeded in its aims. In February 2019, we published our latest report. Please find a copy attached. The report is informed by views from stakeholders, but the conclusions that it reaches are entirely those of the PRP Board.

Our report explains that the system of regulation that was intended following the Leveson Inquiry is currently frustrated by political involvement. Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013 is on the statue books, but it has not been commenced, which means the public is not protected in the way that was intended. The legislation would provide affordable access to justice to the public when they have been harmed by the news publishers, whilst also protecting news publishers from high legal costs. It would protect the public interest, uphold the freedom of the press, and remove political involvement from regulation. Over the last five years, the PRP has demonstrated a commitment to an independent system of self-regulation and shown that the recognition system leads to an increase in standards. In May 2018, the government stated that the PRP remains an important part of the regulatory framework.

Last year, we responded to the government’s consultation on its Online Harms White Paper. Please find attached a copy of our response. It explains that social media platforms perform as news publishers when they produce, edit and distribute news. For these platforms, a regulatory framework already exists in the form of the recognition system, of which the Royal Charter and the PRP are part. Under this system, social media news publishers can join or form an independent self-regulator. That regulator can apply to be independently assessed by the PRP to confirm that it protects the public and upholds freedom of speech.

We also explain our view that the Government should not overburden news publishers and social media platforms by creating a new regulatory system, since an existing system already exists. Nor should they operate within a system different to that which applies to other news publishers (including the traditional ‘press’).

We would welcome the opportunity to meet with you to discuss the recognition system and the issues raised in our response to the government’s consultation on its Online Harms White Paper.

I hope you will feel able to engage with us and look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

David Wolfe QC Chair of the Press Recognition Panel

Press Recognition Panel Mappin House 4 Winsley Street London W1W 8HF

Lord Edward Faulks Chairman IPSO

Sent by email

27 January 2020

Dear Lord Faulks,

Congratulations on your recent appointment as Chairman of IPSO. I am the Chair of the Press Recognition Panel (PRP), the body created by Royal Charter following the Leveson Inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the press, in the light of alleged criminal activity including phone hacking. A key recommendation of the Leveson Inquiry was the creation of a ‘genuinely independent and effective system of self-regulation’. The new system was debated in Parliament and it received cross-party agreement.

Over the last five years, the PRP has demonstrated a commitment to an independent system of self-regulation and shown that the recognition system leads to an increase in standards. In May 2018, the government stated that the PRP remains an important part of the regulatory framework. The Royal Charter also requires the PRP to report on the extent to which the new system of regulation has succeeded in its aims. In February 2019, we published our latest report. Please find a copy attached. The report is informed by views from stakeholders, but the conclusions that it reaches are entirely those of the PRP Board. The report notes that IPSO did not intend to apply to be recognised by the PRP.

We are currently preparing the next edition of our report.

We regularly meet with stakeholders to explain the recognition system and so that they can share their views with us. We previously met with your predecessor Sir Alan Moses and so wished to extend the same invitation to you.

If you would be happy to meet in person, then I will ask my team to liaise with you to identify a suitable date.

We generally hold our meetings with stakeholders in private, but an agreed note of the discussion is published on our website afterwards.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

David Wolfe QC Chair of the Press Recognition Panel

Press Recognition Panel Mappin House 4 Winsley Street London W1W 8HF

The Rt Hon Oliver Dowden CBE MP Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport House of Commons London SW1A 0AA

Sent by email

18 February 2020

Dear Secretary of State,

Congratulations on your recent appointment as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

I am the Chair of the Press Recognition Panel (PRP), the body created by Royal Charter following the Leveson Inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the press, in the light of alleged criminal activity including phone hacking.

Last year, we responded to the government’s consultation on it Online Harms White Paper. Please find attached a copy of our response. It explains that social media platforms perform as news publishers when they produce, edit and distribute news. For these platforms, a regulatory framework already exists in the form of the recognition system, of which the Royal Charter and the PRP are part. Under this system, social media news publishers can join or form an independent self-regulator. That regulator can apply to be independently assessed by the PRP to confirm that it protects the public and upholds freedom of speech.

We sent a copy of our response to Jeremy Wright MP, when he was Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and he invited us to meet on 11 September 2019 to discuss matters. However, he was replaced in the role by Nicky Morgan in July 2019. We wrote to Nicky Morgan and she agreed to meet with us once the Governement had published its response to the consultation on its Online Harms White Paper. I note that the Government published its initial response on 12 February 2020.

We would welcome the opportunity to meet with you to discuss the recognition system and the issues raised in our response to the government’s consultation on its Online Harms White Paper. We previously met with Karen Bradley when she was Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

I hope you will feel able to engage with us and look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

David Wolfe QC Chair of the Press Recognition Panel

Rt Hon Oliver Dowden CBE MP Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport 4th Floor 100 Parliament Street London SW1A 2BQ

E: [email protected]

www.gov.uk/dcms

18 March 2020

David Wolfe QC Chair Press Recognition Panel Mappin House, 4 Winsley Street, London, W1W 8HF

Dear Mr Wolfe,

Thank you for your letter congratulating me on my new role as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. I am thrilled to be in the role and am delighted to be supporting the Prime Minister to deliver the priorities set out in our manifesto, including our ambitious broadband programme, the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the 2022 Festival and more.

I appreciate you taking the time to write and look forward to working with you over the coming months.

Yours sincerely,

Rt Hon Oliver Dowden CBE MP Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Annex G to PRP10(20)

Update on key external matters

1. The update on key external matters is a research-informed piece based on a sample of information available in the public domain.

Commercial Landscape

2. As reported by the Guardian, the Sun recorded a loss of £68m last year. News Group Newspapers, which publishes the Sun and retains liability for the activities of the News of the World, spent £54m on legal fees and damages related to the illegal interception of voicemails. The figures, which cover the 12 months to July 2019, were revealed in accounts filed this weekend. They show that more than a decade after the phone-hacking scandal began, the company is still spending an eighth of its revenue dealing with the fallout, as new cases involving the likes of Prince Harry continue to be filed at the high court.

3. As reported by Press Gazette, publisher Reach has revealed plans to push reader registrations online to “accelerate” digital revenue growth. The company said currently less than two per cent of its readers are registered users “largely because we have not asked for it”. Under a new strategy the company is targeting 7m registered customers by the end of 2022, compared to less than 1m at the end of last year.

4. UK national newspaper sales have fallen by nearly two-thirds over the last two decades, according to analysis of ABC circulation data by Press Gazette. In January 2000, 16 daily and Sunday paid-for national newspapers had a combined circulation of 21.2m, according to ABC figures. Within ten years this had fallen to 16.4m among 17 newspapers – now including the Daily Star Sunday, which launched in 2002 – representing a drop of nearly a quarter (23 per cent). But in January of this year, according to the latest circulation figures available, the same group of newspapers sold a total of 7.4m copies – a fall of more than half (55 per cent) within ten years.

5. Press Gazette reported that the editor of the Sunday Mail, Brendan McGinty, left the title last week as seven redundancies fell across the newspaper and sister Scottish title the Daily Record. McGinty has been replaced as editor by Lorna Hughes, the title’s first female editor in its 101-year history. It is believed she is the first female editor at any Scottish national newspaper for more than 20 years.

6. The Independent revealed it remained in profit for a third consecutive year after going digital-only, despite a number of new editorial hires. Independent Digital News and Media has reported revenues of £27m for 2018/19, a growth of nine per cent year-on-year. Advertising revenues grew by ten per cent during the year. Independent chief executive Zach Leonard attributed the growth to a “diverse range” of revenue streams including advertising, reader revenues, and licensing and syndication.

7. A small majority of Press Gazette readers do not consider the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak to pose a serious threat to the news industry. Over the past week, 450 people responded to the question: “How serious a threat does the coronavirus outbreak pose to the news industry?” Some 162 voters (36 per cent) said it posed only a minor threat, while 69 voters (15 per cent) say it is no threat at all – a combined total of 231 votes (51 per cent).

8. As reported by Press Gazette, free newspapers are facing the prospect of a collapse in circulation after the Prime Minister advised people to work from home in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus. The Metro, City AM and the Evening Standard all rely on commuters to read their free print editions providing advertisers with an affluent and hard-to-reach audience. But their publishing model is now under threat.

9. Press Gazette reported that the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has urged Future to sell off three of its titles before agreeing to its £140m buyout of TI Media. Future announced its plans to acquire TI Media in October and the CMA launched a merger inquiry three months later. It said it was looking at whether the deal “may be expected to result in a substantial lessening of competition”. The CMA has now told Future it will launch a further investigation unless the publisher sells three “closely competing” titles, one each from its photography and football magazines and technology websites.

Legal

10. As reported by BBC News, Danielle Hindley, a beautician who tried to take her own life after the Mail on Sunday (MoS) published lies about her business, has been paid damages for libel by publishers Associated Newspapers. Hindley featured in a story by the MoS about "cosmetic cowboys" and "rogue beauticians". She became so stressed that she lost her eyebrow and eyelash hair and was unable to get out of bed to work. Associated Newspapers said it had published an apology and was paying her damages.

11. The Sun allegedly received unlawfully obtained phone records of Prince Harry’s then-girlfriend in 2005, the High Court has heard. Lawyers representing dozens of claimants in the latest wave of phone hacking cases against News Group Newspapers (NGN) – publisher of The Sun and the now-defunct News of the World – claim a journalist at The Sun was sent Chelsy Davy’s illegally obtained phone billing data by a private investigator. NGN has not responded to the allegation in court and has never made any admission of liability in relation to phone hacking allegations involving The Sun.

12. Mirror Group Newspapers has lost the latest round of a High Court fight with celebrities, including the Duke of Sussex, who say they were victims of phone hacking. Their lawyers wanted to limit the way a group of celebrities presented its case. One concern they had related to allegations that MGN’s legal department had been aware of widespread use of unlawful information-gathering techniques. They said those allegations should be struck out before any trial. But a judge has ruled against them. Mr Justice Mann ruled that the claim relating to allegations about what the legal department knew could be aired at a trial.

Political

13. Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party) asked Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement by Baroness Morgan of Cotes on 6 February (HL Deb, col 1937) that the Government “supported all the recommendations apart from one: the proposal to establish an institute for public interest news” and “the Government have decided that it is not for the Government to take that recommendation forward”, what assessment they made to inform that decision; what support they intend to give, if any, to the establishment by other organisations of an institute for public interest news; what discussions they have had with other organisations about establishing such an institute; and with which organisations they have discussed any such plans.

Baroness Barran (Conservative) has responded: “The Government acknowledges the value the ‘Institute for Public Interest News’, proposed by Dame Frances Cairncross in her Review, is intended to achieve, in bringing different initiatives together in order to amplify their impact, and acting as a channel for collaboration. However, the Government recognises the concerns of many in the publishing industry regarding the inherent challenge an organisation with such a purpose will face in defining what qualifies as ‘public interest’ news, and what might therefore be deserving of support. It is not for the Government to define what qualifies as 'public interest' news. While any institute would be at arm’s length from the Government, we recognise concerns that even an arm’s length relationship risks perceptions of inappropriate Government interference with the press. The Government has therefore decided that it is not for the Government to take the recommendation forward.

There are a number of existing initiatives set up by the industry in this area, for example, the Google News Initiative, Facebook’s Community News Project, the Public Interest News Foundation set up by Impress, and the BBC’s proposed Local Democracy Foundation — with more potentially under development across the sector. Parts of the sector have shown a desire to help share approaches and best practice. It remains open for the sector to support the existing initiatives or form others as they see fit.

Notwithstanding that it is not for the Government to play a role in leading or designing an institution, there are some challenges and functions that Dame Frances envisaged as potentially being undertaken by an institute that the Government is minded to support through other routes. A key function where we see a potential role for Government to support is the funding of research into news provision and its impact on communities. The Government has recently put out an invitation to tender for research to support policy development on news sustainability and will continue to explore how it can commission further research into these areas, to provide a solid evidence base for future policy interventions.”

14. Martyn Day MP (Linlithgow and East Falkirk, Scottish National Party) asked the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has to meet with representatives of the Hacked Off group on legislative proposals to independently regulate newspapers (a) print and (b) online media.

John Whittingdale MP (Maldon, Conservative) has responded: “The Government is committed to a free and independent media. DCMS ministers and officials regularly meet with a range of stakeholders to discuss a range of issues, and will consider any proposals put forward with regard to regulation of print and online media.”

15. Fleur Anderson MP (Putney, Labour) asked the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to independently regulate the media.

John Whittingdale MP (Maldon, Conservative) has responded: “Ofcom is the independent regulator of television and radio, which sets rules for licensed broadcasters to meet under the Communications Act 2003 and Broadcasting Acts 1990 and 1996. The Government will continue to ensure that Ofcom has the right balance of tools and powers to effectively regulate broadcasters.

“There exists an independent self-regulatory system for the press. The majority of traditional news publishers—including 95% of national newspapers by circulation—are members of IPSO. A small number of publishers have joined Impress, while others have chosen to stay outside either self-regulator with their own detailed self-regulatory arrangements.

“We have recently published an initial government response to the public consultation on last year’s Online Harms White Paper. Our plans for legislation will make companies more responsible for their users’ safety online, especially children, and will help build trust in digital markets. Online Harms proposals do not seek to regulate journalistic content. Full details about an exemption for journalistic content will be published in the full Government Response to the Online Harms Consultation later this year.”

16. Zarah Sultana (Labour, Coventry South) tabled a question asking the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he will meet with representatives of Hacked Off to discuss legislation changes that will ensure that all newspapers and their websites are independently regulated.

John Whittingdale MP (Maldon, Conservative) has responded: “The government is committed to a free and independent media. DCMS ministers and officials regularly meet with a range of stakeholders to discuss a range of issues, and will consider any proposals put forward with regard to regulation of newspapers and their websites.”

17. In the Government’s first budget since Boris Johnson’s general election victory in December, it has pledged to cut VAT on “e-newspapers”. Press Gazette understands the VAT saving will apply to all paid-for digital news content, which includes rolling-news websites that sit behind a paywall and digital editions. The budget sets out that “e-newspapers” are “entitled to the same VAT treatment as their physical counterparts”. Chancellor Rishi Sunak has also introduced a new two per cent tax on the revenues of search engines, social media services and online marketplaces “which derive value from UK users”, such as Google and Facebook.

18. A cross-Whitehall unit has been set up to counter coronavirus-related disinformation, including from Russia and China, working closely with social media companies to rebut false and inaccurate claims about the disease. Housed in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, the unit aims to identify false information being deliberately spread online and to establish its scope, impact and whether it needs to be actively countered. Oliver Dowden, the Culture Secretary, said defending the country from misinformation and digital interference was a top priority, and that expert teams had been brought together to respond to any threats identified.

Regulatory news

19. The Public Interest News Foundation (PINF) has announced that Jonathan Heawood, founder and CEO of IMPRESS, will take up post as its Executive Director on a 12-month secondment. IMPRESS’s Chief Operating Officer Ed Procter will take on the role of Acting Chief Executive and will be responsible for leading its next phase of development. PINF will support independent news providers with grants, mentoring and peer-to-peer networking. IMPRESS has hosted PINF until now, but IMPRESS and the PINF are separate organisations with separate boards and no constitutional link. Their working arrangements are underpinned by a Relationship Agreement. The trustees of PINF include Jo Adetunji, Lord Richard Inglewood and Patrick Swaffer, who is standing down from the IMPRESS board to take up his new role.

20. IMPRESS has ordered Unity News Network to publish an apology after businesswoman and campaigner Gina Miller was subjected to online abuse after it wrongly claimed she had tried again to stop the UK leaving the EU following the general election. The 14 December article, titled ‘Gina Miller accused of new secret plot to HALT Brexit’ contained an allegation from an anonymous source claiming Miller travelled to Brussels with two barristers to meet chief negotiator Michel Barnier and European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen.

21. Kevin Bakhurst, Ofcom’s group content director, has said that the regulator will not seek to restrict the editorial freedom of news websites after ministers announced last month that they were minded to appoint Ofcom to enforce a statutory duty of care on social media companies. Ofcom, which already regulates the television and radio sectors, will get tough new powers to protect users, particularly children, from online harm. Digital giants like Facebook and Google could be fined, prosecuted or barred from operating in Britain if they fail to remove illegal content quickly.

22. The Sun has apologised to former Guardian group chief executive David Pemsel over a splash story containing allegations about his private life. The article, published on 28 November last year, led directly to Pemsel resigning from his job as chief executive of the football Premier League before he had even started. The Sun has since said its article “did not accurately reflect his position”. It said it would not republish the story, which is no longer online.

Campaigners’ news

23. Hacked Off’s Policy Director Nathan Sparkes has responded to the news that the Sun is still spending an eighth of its revenue dealing with phone hacking. He said: “News UK have pursued a legal strategy of stringing out cases for months only to settle immediately before allegations of phone hacking at The Sun are tested in court … Instead of resolving claims quickly and responsibly, News UK’s persistence with putting claimants through months of legal action with mounting costs and liability for both sides has backfired. The greatest threat to the financial security of publishers like News UK is their own executives’ obsessive refusal to respond meaningfully to the volume and extent of allegations of illegality they face.”

24. Hacked Off has responded to the news that Danielle Hindley has been paid damages for libel by Associated Newspapers. Hacked Off co-founder Brian Cathcart said: “You don’t need to be famous to get this treatment from the UK press. They do it to anyone. They will ruin your business, your health, your family life – and if you complain they just pile on the misery, partly to punish you and partly to warn off others.” Hacked Off’s Campaign Manager Hannah Mian added: “It couldn’t be clearer, IPSO let the Mail off, and it took court action for the newspaper to finally admit wrongdoing, make a formal apology and pay damages. IPSO is incapable of protecting ordinary members of the public who have their lives destroyed in similar ways or giving them adequate recourse for wrong. It is there to protect their paymasters – the already powerful newspapers – not the British public.”

25. The Society of Editors has launched its Campaign for Real News, calling on editors and those in the news industry to help it expose attempts to restrict and impinge on media freedom. It said the intent of the initiative is to turn a spotlight on attacks on press freedom, particularly through the use of fake newspapers and news sites and the rise of unbalanced, partisan non-media operations. Writing to editors across the UK, the Society’s executive director Ian Murray has asked for their help in calling-out attempts to restrict the ability of their reporters to do their jobs and to highlight any misleading publications and so-called news operations on their patch.

26. The Society of Editors has welcomed assurances by Ofcom that it would not seek to curtail the ‘editorial freedom’ of news sites if it is given powers to regulate online content by the government. Ian Murray, Executive Director, said: “The Society is pleased to see assurances by Ofcom that it does not see its role as encroaching upon the independence of online news platforms if, as expected, its remit is broadened under forthcoming Online Harms legislation. The print press in the UK already has an effective regulator in the Independent Press Standards Organisation to which the vast majority of publications are members.”

27. Hacked Off has responded to the news that the Sun has been accused in court documents of illegally targeting the phones of Prince Harry and Chelsy Davy. Hacked Off Policy Director Nathan Sparkes said: “These allegations … threaten to humiliate the Government on the second anniversary since it cancelled the promised public inquiry into these matters. That a newspaper would illegally monitor the private conversations of teenage partners, Royal or otherwise, is a sickening allegation … The Government must now abandon attempts to curry favour with newspaper publishers and stand up for Prince Harry, Ms Davy, and the thousands of people across the country who have been the victims of illegal or otherwise abusive press behaviour, by establishing Part Two of the Leveson Inquiry and implementing the recommendations of Part One without further delay.”

28. Hacked Off Director Kyle Taylor has responded after the family of James Bulger criticised the use of his image in an article in The Herald which also included images of murderers and rapists. He said: “The use of James Bulger’s image alongside those of rapists and murderers, including the very individuals who took his life, is despicable and cruel. This coverage is possible because The Herald is a member of the industry-controlled complaints-handler IPSO, which does nothing to protect the rights and dignity of those who have lost their lives. The newspaper editors who control the standards code for IPSO have built multiple loopholes into the code, which permit member newspapers to get away with appalling abuses. Among them is a total failure to protect the deceased from abusive coverage; allowing newspapers to callously exploit individuals’ deaths in stories like this. Until IPSO is replaced by an independent regulator, James and others who have passed away can and will be treated the same appalling way.”

29. The Society of Editors has welcomed the announcement by Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden that a special cross-Whitehall unit has been set up to counter coronavirus-related fake news on social media. Ian Murray, Executive Director of the Society of Editors said: “The creation of the cross-Whitehall unit to identify disinformation on social media regarding the Covid-19 virus underscores where the dangers are for the public to be misinformed during this crisis. It is the mainstream media where news and information are edited that factual reports are to be found.”

30. Hacked Off has responded to a report by Byline Investigates which alleged that The Sun newspaper had effectively blackmailed Phillip Schofield into revealing his sexuality by threatening to run a report on the fact he was gay unless he co- operated with the newspaper for an interview. Director Kyle Taylor said: “Relying on blackmail to force people with no record of wrongdoing to reveal personal and intimate details of their private lives is gutter journalism of the lowest order. It is impossible to know how common this practice is, as the power of the press leaves victims feeling they have no option but to cooperate with newspapers’ bullying tactics … It is particularly regrettable that newspapers like The Sun stand accused of pouring resources into revealing innocent celebrities’ private lives, which could have been spent funding investigations into corruption and wrongdoing. This whole attitude disgraces the industry and shows contempt for the traditions and principles of quality journalism.”

31. Hacked Off has issued a response to the government’s commitment to abolishing VAT for online publications, including newspapers, as announced in the budget this month. Director Kyle Taylor said: “Instead of providing qualified and targeted tax relief for e-books and other deserving online publications, the Government has today announced that relief will apply to the same newspapers which continue to wreak havoc in the lives of innocent people. Weeks after the death of Caroline Flack, this announcement provides a bumper tax break to the very same companies which subjected Ms Flack to months of abusive and intrusive coverage. It is an insult to all the victims of press abuse. This state handout of millions of pounds to the Murdochs and other media owners comes as several of these publishers face extensive litigation. These publishers should be investigated and reformed; not handed a wad of public cash.”

32. The Society of Editors has welcomed the publication of research that shows that quality UK journalism is being read by more people than ever before. The latest data released by The Publishers Audience Measurement Company (PAMCo) reveals that an extra 3.2 million daily readers compared to a year ago (2019 v 2018). Society of Editors executive director Ian Murray said this was strong evidence that the public had trust in the mainstream media, and in particular the print press at both a national and local level.