The first lay members have been appointed to the Editors’ Code of Practice Committee which writes the Editors’ Code.
The introduction of three lay members is in response to the Leveson Report, which was published in December 2012.
The Editors’ Code is the set of rules on which the Independent Press Standards Organisation bases its decisions.
Now that the independent members have been appointed it is expected that the committee will complete its long-awaited review of the Editors’ Code – after consulting on changes to it two years ago.
The new members of the committee are:
- Christine Elliott: Chief Executive of the Institute for Turnaround and previous Director of Bletchley Park, who said to have experience of being involved in high profile media stories
- David Jessel: A former TV investigative journalist and also a member of IPSO’s complaints committee
- Dr Kate Stone: Founder of Cambridge technology company Novalia. She is said to have previous experience of using the Editors’ Code to bring a complaint about newspaper coverage.
Daily Mail editor ??Paul Dacre, who remains chairman of the Editors' Code Committee, said: "We welcome the appointment of these distinguished lay members, which fulfils the commitment we made in the aftermath of the Leveson Inquiry to ensure the public were represented on the Editors’ Code Committee, the body responsible for writing the Editors’ Code of Practice.
“They will play a vital role in guaranteeing the Editors’ Code remains the standard against which all British journalism is judged."
IPSO chairman Sir Alan Moses said: “The Editors’ Code is the standard that IPSO uses to regulate the press. The addition of lay members is a welcome development and I am sure the committee will benefit from the perspectives the new appointees bring.”
The other members of the code committee are:
- Sir Alan Moses, Chairman of IPSO
- Damian Bates, Aberdeen Press and Journal
- Neil Benson, Trinity Mirror Regional Newspapers
- Geordie Greig, Mail on Sunday
- Jonathan Grun, Press Association
- Ian Murray, Southern Evening Echo
- Mike Sassi, Nottingham Evening Post;
- Matt Tee, Chief Executive of IPSO
- Hannah Walker, South London Press
- Harriet Wilson, Conde-Nast Publications
- John Witherow, The Times.?
The lay members were chosen by the IPSO appointments panel which comprises:
- Sir Hayden Phillips (Chairman)
- Sir Alan Moses, Chairman of IPSO
- Lloyd Embley, Group Editor-in-Chief at Trinity Mirror
- Keith Perch, a former regional newspaper editor
- Wendy Harris, a former civil servant
- Mehmuda Mian, a solicitor and former BBC trustee.
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