The Press Complaints Commission has held two public Open Days a year since 2003. Stemming from a commitment to publicise our service as widely as possible, Open Days provide an excellent opportunity for members of the public to raise specific concerns about the press, and are an invaluable means for the PCC to gage public reaction to current issues in press regulation.

The format of an Open Day tends to remain the same regardless of which city we visit. The afternoon begins with an open surgery session, designed for people who want to have a private, informal chat with a senior member of PCC staff about a specific issue. Staff are on hand to explain on a one-to-one basis how the complaints process operates and offer advice on all matters relating to the press. They will also give advice on other matters such as how to make a complaint, how the PCC’s Code of Practice can be used when dealing with journalists and editors, and what rights individuals from different groups have under the Code.

This is followed by a Question and Answer session, chaired by the PCC’s Chairman. The other members of the panel consist of the PCC’s Director, a lay (i.e. public) Commissioner, and an editor from a local newspaper. In this session, members of the public grill the panel about any aspect of the press or the system of self-regulation. Topics discussed in the past have included the powers and sanctions available to the PCC, the potential impact on newspapers of the rise of citizen journalism, the prominence in newspapers and magazines of corrections and apologies negotiated by the PCC, and the degree of independence in the composition of the Commission.

Open Days are free to attend, and we welcome people from all sections of the community with an interest of any kind in the press.

Previous Open Days have been held in Manchester, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast, Newcastle, Liverpool, Glasgow, Birmingham and Oxford. Reports of previous Open Days can be found here.

In 2008, Open Days took place in Leeds and Ipswich. For further information about Open Days in the meantime, please contact the PCC’s Information and Events Manager, Tonia Milton, on tonia.milton@pcc.org.uk or 020 7831 0022.