Learning the Lessons of Leveson by Chris Frost, Liverpool John Moores University

Abstract

The Leveson Inquiry was set up to examine the ethics of the press in the UK. It took evidence from 700 witnesses on the state of the British press and its standards and the failure of the Press Complaints Commission to combat ir- regularities and raise standards.
Most attention has been paid to policy surrounding press regulation since Leveson reported leading to the closure of the PCC and its replacement with the Independent Press Standards Organisation. However, Leveson also made it clear that regulation was not the only way to improve the culture and ethics of the press and that a sweeping change in practice was re- quired. This paper examines the effectiveness of a regu- lator in raising journalism standards and the importance of education in changing newsroom culture for raising standards in the future.

Keywords: IPSO, Independent Press Standards Organisation, PCC, Press Complaints Commission, self-regulation, press, complaints, Leveson Inquiry

Learning the Lessons of Leveson by Chris Frost, Liverpool John Moores University