View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Media Law
September 13, 2016updated 14 Sep 2016 11:00am

Press regulator Impress claims 40 member publications with combined readership of 2m

By Dominic Ponsford

Rival press regulator Impress now claims to cover more than 40 publications with a combined readership of more than two million.

But they are still mainly niche and local publications with most major national and regional newspapers and magazines signed up to industry-backed regulator the Independent Press Standards Organisation.

Impress founder and director Jonathan Heawood addressed a London conference today as IPSO marked its second year in operation.

Impress is expected to find out next month from the Government-backed Press Recognition Panel whether it will get official recognition under the Royal Charter. If it does, its members will be protected from the threat of exemplary damages in court cases.

If Impress were to get official recognition, its members could gain protection from paying the court costs of successful claimants who sue them. Publishers who are not members of Impress could face paying both sides’ legal costs in libel actions that they win. But both these measures will only come into force under a clause in the Crime and Courts Act which has yet to be commenced by the Government.

Heawood said that his regulator hopes to help restore trust in journalism, noting that according to research by the European Broadcasting Union only 22 per cent of Britons say they trust the press.

He said: “We offer a simple and straightforward complaints-handling system. We help publishers put together editorial policies for their sites and print editions. We ask them to be transparent about any conflicts of interest and to follow clear ethical guidelines.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

“In return, we allow them to display our Trust Mark.

“More than 40 publications, with a combined readership of more than two million people, have already signed up to Impress, with more joining all the time.

“We are funded for at least the next four years by a charity, the Independent Press Regulation Trust, which supports our aims but has no influence over the membership of our Board or our standards code or our adjudications or investigations – or in fact over any aspect of our operations or governance.

“This start-up funding means that Impress is independent and sustainable.”

Impress has faced criticism because of the fact that the vast majority of its funding, £3.8m, comes from the Independent Press Regulation Trust which is turn funded by a charity set up by press reform campaigner Max Mosley.

Heawood said that some publishers see a commercial benefit from signing up to Impress.

He said: “These publishers are joining Impress because see the reputational and commercial benefits that independent regulation can bring. They see that our values match theirs, and that we can help them to survive and thrive in a competitive market.

“They see that independent regulation drives accountability. That accountability drives trust. And that trust drives sustainability.”

Since the formation of IPSO the publishers of The Guardian, Observer, Evening Standard, Independent and Financial Times have all opted out of press regulation altogether.

Topics in this article :

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network