PCC announces yearly customer satisfaction results; information on the Data Protection Act, and news from the Code of Practice Committee

In another development, Sir Christopher Meyer has announced that he is looking at ways of raising awareness about the requirements of the Data Protection Act. In remarks to journalists at the PCC's headquarters in London, he said: "Touring the country and talking to editors, I hear a lot of concern about the manner in which some public authorities have restrictively interpreted the Act in a way which only makes the journalist's job more difficult. That has been thrown into sharp focus recently. But if there is going to be a review about how the act is used by public authorities, it is only right that we do what we can to educate journalists about how the Act might relate to them. It is not a straightforward piece of legislation, and there seems to be some confusion about the extent of the journalistic exemption and the rules on obtaining personal data." Sir Christopher said that the PCC - in consultation with the industry - was looking at the production of a guidance note on the subject.

The Editors' Code of Practice Committee has announced that it is inviting members of the public and the press to contribute to a forthcoming review of the Code of Practice.

ENDS

Notes

1. A total of 889 people whose complaints fell under the terms of the Code of Practice were surveyed anonymously throughout 2003.

2. For details about membership of the Code Committee click here

3. For information about how the Code of Practice has evolved over the last 13 years, click here