Statistics 2010

Introduction How do the stats for 2010 compare to those for the previous year? What are the primary causes of complaint? How can a statistical analysis shed light on the PCC's practical work? Here, we provide an introductory overview of what last year's figures show. Read more The key numbers Around 1,700 cases were ruled on or successfully mediated in 2010. Read more What do people complain about? Complaints about alleged inaccuracies remain the most common. But complaints about intrusion into individuals' privacy increased slightly in 2010. National newspapers are most frequently the subject of complaint but 45% of investigated cases were against regional titles. Read more Complaints with merit The Commission's role is to determine which complaints it receives actually reveal breaches of the Editors' Code of Practice. In this section we look at those cases which the PCC judged to have merit under the terms of the Code - and we set out what happened to them. Read more Complaints without merit Although many complaints raise concerns that are quite understandable, they may not always show a breach of the Code of Practice. Here, we examine those cases that were judged by the Commission not to have merit when set against the requirements of the Editors' Code. Read more Speed of service It has long been a primary aim of the PCC to offer a speedy service to complainants. Last year we improved our average time for dealing with cases. Read more Prominence We have worked hard in recent years to highlight the importance of corrections and apologies being published with due prominence. In 2010, 81.1% of apologies appeared on the same page or further forward than the original transgression. Read more Desist requests and pre-publication advice Statistics often hide the reality of specific cases. This is nowhere more true than in respect of the PCC's proactive work: preventing harassment, assisting those at the centre of a media storm and so on. But the fi gures for last year show that these services are being used more than ever. Read more Complainant feedback and public opinion research Those who complain to the PCC generally feel very positive about their experience of our service, even if their complaints are judged not to breach the terms of the Editors' Code. Public opinion about the PCC is also positive, and the PCC has published the results of its complainant feedback survey and of public opinion research conducted by Toluna. Read more