Review of the year

The number of complaints received

The PCC dealt with 2,944 complaints in 1997 - a similar number to 1996 and roughly double the number received in the years immediately after the establishment of the Commission.

As reported elsewhere in this Review, the principal task of the Commission is to resolve these complaints. In 1997, we did this in just under 90% of cases where there was a case to pursue under the Code.

In 82 cases where no resolution was possible, the Commission undertook a thorough investigation and then adjudicated. Of these it upheld 34. As in every previous year, all previous adjudications were published in full and with due prominence by the publication concerned. The Commission publishes all its adjudications in a Quarterly Bulletin which is distributed to all editors, MPs and many other individuals and groups.

A number of complaints raised matters which were outside the remit of the Commission. These were principally about taste and offensiveness, or ones which raised legal or contractual matters. A small number were not pursued because of unjustifiable delay, or because they were third party complaints.

In the remainder of cases, it was clear on investigation that there was no case to pursue under the Code.

What the complaints were about

The complaints received by the Commission related principally to accuracy in reporting. Almost seven in ten cases were brought under Clauses 1 (Accuracy) and 2 (Opportunity to Reply) of the Code of Practice.

Although privacy is in many ways central to the work of the Commission, which has a special Privacy Commissioner to supervise the handling of privacy complaints, the number of complaints brought about intrusion remain a small proportion of the total. In 1997, only one in 8 cases concerned privacy.

The remainder of the complaints received - about 16 percent - fell under the other Clauses of the Code. Of these the most numerous were about discrimination (6%) and harassment (3%).

* These figures include 271 complaints carried over from 1996 - but do not include 268 complaints carried over until 1998

Revising the Code of Practice

The industry's Code of Practice underwent significant changes in 1997 following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. The reportage, in this review from Sir David English, Chairman of the industry's Code Committee outlines those changes in detail. This followed an urgent review into the issue of harassment and intrusion announced by Lord Wakeham on 1st September 1997 and concluded on 25th of that month.

A commitment to observe the Code of Practice is now contained in the contracts of most editors in the country, and those of a significant number of journalists as well. It is this commitment which, in many ways, provides the 'teeth' of self regulation and continues to be crucial to the effectiveness of the PCC.

Protecting the vulnerable

Protecting particularly vulnerable groups of people is an important part of the PCC's work and central to the Code. In 1997 the Commission concentrated on two particular areas.

The first was the protection of children - where the Commission's adjudications pointed to the need for editors to show particular sensitivity in the coverage of the children of people in the public eye. The Code has since been changed to cover this point.

Secondly, the Commission undertook a good deal of work with the Mental Health Act Commission and other groups representing those with mental illness to produce new guidelines on the portrayal in the media of people suffering with mental illness. These were included as an editorial in the Commission's Quarterly Bulletin Number 38 - and were widely welcomed by professionals in the field.

The Royal Princes

Following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, Lord Wakeham made clear in a speech on 9th September 1997 that newspapers should continue to respect the privacy of Prince William and Prince Harry - as every other child - and to do so throughout their time at school. Speaking at the London Press Club, he said:

'Just over two years ago, before Prince William started at Eton, I set out the terms of a strict agreement between the Palace and the press on coverage of the young Prince studying at school. That agreement - which applies as much to both the Princes as it does to any other child - made clear that the terms of the industry's Code on the reporting of children had to be observed absolutely, even with regard to the most high profile young person. This agreement has been observed with the diligence I would expect from all editors.

'When they have been at school, there has never been any "hounding" of the young Princes by any newspaper... and there never will be. I should also make clear that in my view, that means respecting their privacy while they are studying at school beyond the age of sixteen as well. Indeed there should be no arbitrary age limit on the right of any child to study at school without intrusion into their privacy.'

Court Reporting

As a result of an initiative by the PCC with the Lord Chancellor's Department, new recommendations on media reporting have been issued to judges throughout the country. These recommendations - that judges should produce a written note of their sentencing remarks for distribution to the media in cases which might attract media attention - complement the PCC's existing guidance in this area. That guidance will itself be updated and reissued in 1998.

Payments to Witnesses

The Commission submitted evidence to the consultation by the Lord Chancellor's Department on the issue of payments to witnesses. The Commission concluded that there was no need for legislation in this area. There have only been four cases raising the issue in forty years - and in none of these has there been any miscarriage of justice. Self regulation had been adapted and toughened to respond to some of the concerns raised in the trial for murder of Rosemary West - and the resulting Code changes are sufficient to deal with any problem in the future.

Extending the Code to the Internet

The PCC has extended its jurisdiction to certain publications on the Internet - making it, as far as it is possible to discern, the first press self regulatory body anywhere in the world to do so.

Many national and regional newspapers and magazines now appear in an on-line version on the Internet. During 1997, the industry agreed that the terms of the Code should extend to those publications on the Internet placed there by publishers who already subscribe to the Code of Practice.

Members of the public can now therefore make complaints about the on-line contents of newspapers and certain magazines. Complaints must still be made in writing with a hard copy of the article concerned.

Training

The PCC continued to play an important role in the training of trainee journalists throughout 1997. Much of the work of lecturing to universities and colleges fell to Professor Robert Pinker, the PCC's Privacy Commissioner. He delivered 29 training lectures in the UK last year. The Commission is indebted to him for that work.

Lord MacGregor

The PCC was much saddened by the death of its first Chairman, Lord MacGregor of Durris, in November 1997. Speaking at that time, Lord Wakeham paid tribute to his work:

'Throughout his life, Mac was a stalwart champion of a free responsible press - not just in this country, but across the Globe. His role in the establishment of the Press Complaints Commission and the system of effective self regulation we have today was absolutely crucial - and will stand as an abiding testimony to his memory.'