Regulation and Politics

The Guardian & Observer

- The Guardian is a daily newspaper published by the Guardian group and owned by the Scott Trust.

- The Observer is the Sunday newspaper published by the Guardian group. It’s basically the Guardian but released on a Sunday with more of a focus on investigative, long term, journalism. But it will still report on immediate news. It’s the oldest running Sunday newspaper and dates back to 1791!

- (FYI: The Guardian Weekly is a weekly summary of the week published by the Guardian group which compiles articles and pieces from the previous seven days into a weekly summary)

- The Guardian/Observer follow five principles:

- Develop ideas that help to improve the world, not just critique it.

- Collaborate with readers and others to have greater impact.

- Diversify, to have richer reporting from a representative newsroom.

- Be meaningful in all our work.

- Report fairly on people as well as power and find things out. This underpins all of the above.

- The Guardian is a liberal newspaper - it doesn't follow a political party

News paper industry Regulation

- FREEDOM OF THE PRESS - the right to circulate opinions in print without censorship by the government.

- levenson inquiry

- The Leveson Inquiry into the culture, practice and ethics of the press has published its report.

- self-regulation body recommended

- independent of serving editors, government and business.

- no widespread corruption of police but the press was found

- politicians and press have too close

- press behaviour, at times, has been 'outrageous'

IPSO - 

Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO)

Is a regulator of magazines and newspapers and their online counterparts.

It is funded by magazines and newspaper companies.

Any member of the public can make a complaint to the IPSO

OFCOM - 

This is the broadcasting regulator.

If a person sees something on TV that they believe should not have been broadcast, they can make a complaint to them.

It could be about advertising, something that was said or something that was offensive.

Broadcasters are regulated by Ofcom, which is backed by law.

Other people publishing on the internet, such as bloggers and tweeters, are not regulated as such, but are covered by laws on issues such as libel and contempt of court.

Some, including MPs and peers, have questioned the wisdom of bringing more regulation to the press and not the wider internet.

Lord Justice Leveson himself referred to material on the internet as "the elephant in the room".