Former Guardian media columnist Roy Greenslade is to write a weekly blog for press regulator the Independent Press Standards Organisation.
Greenslade ended his daily media blog for the Guardian in January after more than a decade and is expected to begin writing for IPSO, which will host his writings on its website, in early April.
The City University journalism professor’s blog will not be regulated because IPSO is not seen as a publisher.
A spokesperson said any complaints about it would be handled in the same way as complaints over its existing blog content, but did not elaborate on what this entailed.
Greenslade told Press Gazette that his Guardian column had never received a complaint to IPSO (or the PCC before it) and that he had only been threatened with legal action once.
He added: “I think I know where the law is – I teach ethics after all.”
A number of newspapers are not signed up to an independent regulator, including The Guardian, Independent and Financial Times.
Greenslade told Press Gazette he had been “keenly missing” blogging and that it was IPSO who had approached him about writing for them.
“I thought what a pretty unique opportunity really,” he said. “IPSO are very keen to generate traffic and they think I might do so – whether or not I do will be an interesting test.”
His blog is set to focus on press freedom issues and the media landscape, both global and domestic.
Greenslade, a former editor of the Daily Mirror, said: “I have been writing about the journalism industry throughout a quarter century of change and I welcome this opportunity to continue my observations.”
He added: “It’s only once a week so it won’t be necessarily as much following the news as I did before. I would say it would be a bit professorial in comparison with the more intense stuff I did at the Guardian, but I don’t think I shall lose any of my bite.”
IPSO chief executive Matt Tee said: “We are delighted to provide a platform for Roy Greenslade who is widely recognised as an independent, impartial and trusted voice with an unrivalled knowledge of the sector.
“His blog’s subject matter will be of his choosing and we are, of course, conscious that IPSO’s work is fair game for comment. I’m looking forward to reading what he has to say.”
Greenslade is also due to pick up a monthly media column at the Guardian in April as part of a rotation of four columnists.
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