CODE COMMITTEE REPORT

I was honoured to become Chairman of the Editors' Code of Practice Committee in 1998 - although I would have given anything for the circumstances to be different.

David English - to whom there is a fitting tribute in this Report - was indeed a towering figure in the industry. As Chairman of the Code Committee in the days after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, he steered the industry through stormy waters - his work culminating, at the end of 1997, in a number of far-reaching changes to the Code.

Given that so many revisions to the Code were made at that point - in particular on privacy, harassment, intrusion into grief, and children - I believe it would have been wrong to alter it much further in 1998. Indeed, as certainty and consistency of principle are hallmarks of any successful self regulatory system, all editors needed the chance to see how the new, substantially tougher Code worked before contemplating any further change.

That the Code has worked - and will continue to do so - I have no doubt. I know that from the stories I hear about from the editors every day - but which are never published because to do so would infringe the Code. I know from looking at how stories are written to protect the vulnerable - for instance, by excluding details of children - in line with the Code's requirements. I know that from the speed with which inaccuracies are corrected on those rare occasions when, inevitably, they occur.

The Code allows all those involved in newspapers and magazines to demonstrate their responsibility and their commitment to a set of tough, ethical standards. But as importantly, it does not - and never must - do anything to undermine the ability of all journalists to inform, entertain, educate, report, investigate and scrutinise in the public interest. That is what we are there to do - and it is also what the Code is there to do: balancing our rights and our responsibilities.

In that task, it has been a year of consolidation for the Code Committee. Although there are no Code changes to report, the Committee did consider sixteen representations from members of the public covering a wide range of topics. All such representations are extremely useful in ensuring we respond to the concerns of members of the public, as well as those of editors themselves and of the PCC.

I am most grateful to all my colleagues on the Committee - and in particular to my Deputy, Ian Beales - for the work they continue to do on behalf of all editors. Without a practical and vibrant Code, self regulation itself would founder. It is our task in the years ahead to ensure the Code itself continues to flourish.

The Members of the Code Committee are: