Advertisers could play role in press regulation

A body representing British advertisers has welcomed suggestions they could play a greaterer role in press regulation.

The recommendation was contained in a report by the Joint Committee on Privacy and Injunctions:

[PCC chairman] Lord Hunt of Wirral suggested that ‘there could be a badge of respectability, of accuracy’, and suggested that he would consider how a kite-mark system could be tied into advertising rates.

A way to achieve that might be found through working with the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers, the representative body for British advertisers.

The committee also recommended that one way of making sure every published signed up to the new press regulator was for major advertisers to require membership as a condition of advertising in news publications. The recommendations have been welcomed by the ISBA. Director of public affairs Ian Twinn said:

We welcome the opportunity to be involved at this crucial, formative stage and believe that ad spend could play a very useful part in giving the new press complaints body real teeth.

In light of the report, we will be exploring how advertisers can reinforce the power of self-regulation, without them becoming involved in judgements over the editorial content of publications.