CODE COMMITTEE REPORT by Les Hinton, Chairman of the Code Committee

As I have underlined in previous reports for the PCC's Annual Review, the Code is the cornerstone of the industry's self regulation. It has been throughout the last ten years - and will, I have no doubt, continue to be so for the next.

The Code has evolved dramatically during the course of the last decade - in response to the concerns of editors themselves, of the Commission, of Parliamentarians, and of the public. Other changes - for instance relating to the use of long lens photography or photo manipulation - have occurred as a result of technological change. Each of them has ensured that the Code remains up to date, vibrant, responsive and, above all, practical.

Although there have been many changes - outlined in some detail on the Commission's website - www.pcc.org.uk - the Code continues, at its core, to ensure four things:

1. that newspapers and magazines take care to be accurate;

2. that they show respect for the private life of all individuals;

3. that they gather news in a fair manner; and

4. that they give particular protection to vulnerable groups of people such as children, hospital patients or those suffering at times of grief or shock.

Crucially, the Code has also always recognised that the purpose of newspapers and magazines is to bring news to the public. That is why it has always protected the public's right to know, and ensured that there is an exemption available to key Clauses of the Code where a newspaper is acting in the public interest.

This balancing act has never been an easy one - but it has been worth it. Our Code today is hugely important, and is respected by editors throughout the industry - for two key reasons.

First, they know that self regulation itself would fail without a vibrant Code which both provides rights for members of the public, and protects the public's right to know.

Second - most crucial of all - they know it is a Code written not by outsiders but by editors themselves. Throughout its first ten years, the Code has been crafted by editors for editors, and ratified by the whole industry - as well as the independent Commission - before coming into effect. This process binds all editors into the Code far more effectively than any Code written by outsiders ever could. It is right here, at the conclusion of the Code's first decade, to record a tribute to all the editors who have served on the Code Committee over the years - as well as to my two predecessors as Chairman, Patsy Chapman and the late Sir David English. The contribution of them all has been vital.

There have been no changes to the Code during the course of 2000 - although, at the time of the publication of this Review, the Committee and the PCC continue to consult on possible guidelines relating to financial journalism following the Commission's adjudication on share tipping at one national newspaper. In addition, the Committee considered representations from members of the public and others about possible changes to the Code in 2000: while each of these has been carefully considered, none of them resulted in a change to the Code.

Other issues are being tackled - including the application of the Code to on-line publications. I hope to set out the conclusions to these and other matters in my report next year.

Members of the Code Committee

Les Hinton (Chairman)
Ian Beales (Deputy Chairman) Western Daily Press
James Bishop Illustrated London News
Ian Dowell Birmingham Evening Mail
Max Hastings The Evening Standard
Sue James Family Circle
Maggie Kuomi Hello! Doug Melloy Rotherham and South Yorkshire Advertiser
Charles Moore The Daily Telegraph
Paul Potts Press Association
Russell Reid The Sunday Post
David Rowell Northamptonshire Newspapers
Anita Syvret Gloucestershire Echo
Neil Wallis The Sunday People
John Witherow The Sunday Times