A More Accountable Press, published by the Media Standards Trust finds that the existing UK system of press self-regulation, as currently constituted, including the Press Complaints Commission, is unable to deal with the serious and growing threats to press standards and press freedom.
The report, published in consultation with an independent group of 12 leading figures from the press and civil society, found that the current system is insufficiently effective, largely unaccountable, opaque, and failing to reflect the radically changed media environment.
Research conducted by YouGov found that 75% of the British public think newspapers publish stories they know to be inaccurate. 70% of people believe there are far too many instances in which newspapers invade people’s privacy. 7% of people trusted newspapers to behave responsibly, a figure lower than that for banks. It also found increased public support for government intervention in the press as a result of falling levels of trust.