Media Standards Trust welcomes PCC review

The Media Standards Trust, the independent charity which has been a critic of the Press Complaints Commission, has welcomed the announcement that the PCC is to conduct a major review of its governance.
In her first major initiative since taking over as Chairman of the Press Complaints Commission in April 2009, Baroness Buscombe yesterday announced plans for an independent review of the PCC’s governance.
The review group will examine the operation of the PCC board, sub-committees and secretariat; how transparency in the system can be enhanced; whether the independent systems of accountability – the Charter Commissioner and Charter Compliance Panel – can be improved; and the PCC’s Articles of Association.
The MST says: "It is important that the review is independent and is seen to be. The review should consult as widely as possible in the course of its work."
A report by the Trust - ‘A More Accountable Press’ - claimed the current system of self-regulation was not transparent or accountable enough. It brought an angry response from the then PCC chairman Sir Christopher Meyer. He accused the Trust of inaccuracies, flawed analysis, making false claims and misinterpreting PCC statistics.
Director of the MST, Martin Moore, said: ‘We're delighted that the PCC has announced a review of its operations and we will be as helpful as we can. Our interest is in making the system of press self-regulation effective on behalf of the public, as well as protecting the press."