Each year, the PCC gives talks about its work to between 30 and 40 groups of students. In many cases, these are students training to be professional journalists, where knowledge of the press industry’s Code of Practice is an obligatory part of their NCTJ professional exams.

In other cases, groups of secondary school students visit the PCC’s offices as part of a Media Studies course or similar, and are given a presentation about the PCC’s work from one of the organisation’s experienced members of staff.

Sessions are always discussed with tutors in advance to ascertain the needs of the students, and we are happy to tailor the seminars to fit specific requirements. Sessions usually take the form of a practical, ‘hands-on’ seminar which gives students the chance to look at real-life case studies investigated by the PCC.

A typical session will include an introduction to the PCC and an explanation of the main principles and benefits of self-regulation; an overview of the main areas of the Code (with brief illustrations of real cases); an explanation of the complaints procedure; and an overview of how the complaints we receive are broken down by clause.

The students will then be invited by the speaker to work through examples of recent cases dealt with by the Commission as a way of properly understanding the intricacies of a case and the often difficult decision-making process. These practical exercises enable students to understand the workings of the PCC, and alert them to particularly complex strands of a case.

Alternatively, a more formal lecture can be given if required. Please contact Tonia Milton with any enquiries: tonia.milton@pcc.org.uk.