Press Complaints Commission >> About the PCC

About the PCC

In November 2012, Lord Hunt, Chair of the PCC, responded to the publication of Lord Justice Leveson's Report. He reiterated a commitment to moving forward as swiftly as possible to a new regulatory body. The UK newspaper and magazine industry has agreed to construct a new regulatory system which is compliant with Lord Justice Leveson's recommendations and is currently in discussions about the precise form that will take. Lord Hunt is working with the industry to set up the new organisation in accordance with those agreed objectives, and is keeping Government and Parliament informed of progress.

In the meantime the Press Complaints Commission will continue to deal with complaints from members of the public, which can be made in the normal way throughout the transition period. The terms of the Editors' Code of Practice remain the same, and members of PCC staff are available at any time to offer advice, including on an emergency out-of-hours basis for concerns relating to harassment or attention from journalists and photographers.

This section of our website is designed to introduce you to the work of the PCC and explain more about the system of press self regulation we uphold. If you are looking for information about how to make a complaint, please click here. You might also find it helpful to have a look at our annual reviews. These provide a comprehensive summary of the PCC's work, including a look at key cases, complaints statistics and special in-depth reports on topics such as privacy.

What is the PCC and how does it work?

Find out more about the PCC and how it operates, including the full range of sanctions available to it and its proactive work.

Key benefits of self regulation

You’ll see the term ‘self regulation’ quite frequently on this website. This page explains how this particular system of regulation is beneficial to the public, and explains its advantages over other possible options.

History

This page gives a comprehensive overview of the PCC’s history from its inception in 1991 to the present day.

Governance and Accountability

This section provides important information about how the PCC is funded; sets out our register of interests and Articles of Association; and explains what you can do if you have a complaint about the PCC. It also includes minutes of Commission meetings.

Did you know?

From our work stopping media harassment to details of our training seminars and events, these pages highlight some of the PCC’s most interesting areas of work that you might not know about.

Examples of successful anti-harassment and pre-publication work
The PCC is increasingly carrying out a large amount of work which helps to protect people's privacy and minimise the risk of media harassment, particularly at times of grief or shock. This section gives some examples of some of our key successes in this area.