Case Studies:

1: Man vs Northwich Guardian

• Clause 6 applies as the boy is 15 years old and could be protected.
• Public right to know takes priority as it is a serious crime.
• Boy has already posted video on YouTube - so right to privacy is gone.
• Complaint withdrawn.

2: Man vs Zoo Magazine

• Clause 6 applies as child is 10 years old. 
• Potential ridicule of girl by magazine is intruding on childs life.
• Child's face should be blurred, for the sake of child.
• However, man sounds as if he is trying to cover up for bad parenting.
• Complaint stands.

3: Man vs Sunday Times

• Clause 4 applies as it could be seen as harrassment of the child.
• Clause 6 applies as the boy is only 14 and the reporter is not only harrassing a child, but attempting to obtain photos of another child without the schools permission.
• Complaint stands.

4: Women vs The Independent

• Clause 3 applies as the article is an intrusion into the women's private life.
• Not public information as the theatre has official press releases which should be adheared to.
• Complaint stands.

5: Women vs The Sun

• Clause 5 applies as it could be intrusion into grief and shock.
• However, paper insists that it did not treat the death inappropriately.
• Incident happened in public place with many onlookers.
• Complaint withdrawn.

6: Women vs Eastbourne Gazette

• Clause 4 applies as the reporter is harrassing the family and the man.
• Clause 8 applies as the reporter is clearly ignoring the fact that he must have permission from hospital authority to see the patient let alone try to ask them questions.
• Complaint stands.

7: Police Officer vs Sunday Telegraph

• Clause 10 applies as the paper admitted to subterfuge.
• Clause 3 applies as the issue is one about the policewoman's right to privacy, which clearly wasn't respected.
• However, it may be argued that the public have a right to know as a result of the position she holds within the local society.
• Arguement withdrawn.

8: Paul McCartney vs Hello! Magazine

• Clause 3 applies as the issue regards his right to privacy.
• However he is a celebrity in a very public place and so cannot expect privacy.
• Clause 5 applies as it is intrusion into grief of his wifes death.
• This should have been treated respectfully be the press.
• Complaint stands.

PCC: Overview

What does the PCC do?

• The Press Complaints Commission (PCC) is an independent self-regulatory body which deals with complaints about the editorial content of newspapers and magazines (and their websites). 
• They use the 16 clauses as their guidlines.
• The PCC will investigate when they receive a complaint by someone directly affected.
• The PCC will attempt to help the editor and complainant to agree on a way to resolve the issue, such as a published apology or clarification.

How does the system work?

• The system is not a legal one, but rather a voluntary agreement between editors.
• The 16 clauses which act as guidlines are drawn up by a group of editors.
• Non of the PCC staff are connected to the industry.

What does the code of practice cover?

• An editor is expected to take responsibility for all the stories and photographs that appear in their publication and to ensure that they comply with the code.
• The code does not cover issues of taste and decency. This is because the PCC recognises that in a democratic society we have the right to free press.
• However, people can choose which newspaper is to their tastes, so with advertising such as billboards, then matters of taste and decency apply more.

How is the PCC funded?

• Funded through the Press Standards Board of Finance (aka PressBof), which is responsible for collecting money from newspapers and magazines in the UK.
• Newspapers and magazines pay a sum proportional to their papers circulation - so big newspapers pay much more than small local papers.
• PCC does not receive any money from government.

History of the PCC:

• The PCC was set up in 1991 and replaced the Press Council, which had been set up in 1953.
• During the 1980s, a small number of publications failed to observe the basic ethics of journalism, and many MPs lost condfidence in the Press Council.
• So the PCC was set up to prove "that non-statutory regulation can be made to work effectively".

Who complains to the PCC and what about?

• The PCC will acept complaints from anyone who thinks an article involving them breaches the code in some way.
• A number of celebrities have used the PCC's service in recent years, but most complaints are from odinary people. (In 2007, 95.8% came from odinary members of the public.)
• The code provides special attention to particularly vunerable groups such as children, hospital patients and minority groups.

Why is the PCC important?

• In a democratic society, we should have the right to free press, so the press should not subject to control by the law or govenrment.
• The PCC is independant and voluntary to ensure this.
• The PCC still protects the public, and is fast and free.

PCC: 16 Clauses

Accuracy

Opportunity to reply

*Privacy

*Harassment

Intrusion into grief or shock

*Children

*Children in sex cases

*Hospitals

*Reporting of Crime

*Clandestine devices and subterfuge

Victims of sexual assault

Discrimination

Financial journalism

Confidential sources

Witness payments in criminal trials

*Payment to criminals

The public interest

There may be exceptions to the clauses marked * where they can be demonstrated to be in the public interest.