IPSO appoints external reviewer of the independence and effectiveness

Sir Joseph Pilling KCB has been appointed to conduct an external review of the independence and effectiveness of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). He was appointed by the arms-length IPSO Appointments Panel, chaired by Wendy Harris, with a majority of non-industry members who are also not members of IPSO’s Board.

In a distinguished civil service career, Sir Joseph rose to be Permanent Secretary of the Northern Ireland Office. He has conducted many reviews, notably into the Civil Aviation Authority and as a panel member on the review of the ’30 Year Rule’. He most recently chaired a review for the Church of England on issues related to human sexuality. Zoe Gannon a barrister from the 11KBW chambers will support Sir Joseph in the review, which will be published in his name.

Announcing Sir Joseph’s appointment, Wendy Harris said:

“This role was openly advertised and the Appointments Panel was looking for someone of unimpeachable independence, with a track record of conducting high profile reviews. We were very pleased that we were able to appoint someone as eminent and experienced as Sir Joseph.”

Sir Joseph said:

“I welcome IPSO’s decision to set up an external review at what is an important time for the newspaper and magazine industry in the UK. I look forward to engaging with a wide range of industry stakeholders, as well as the general public, and would encourage anyone who has observations and views they wish to submit to contact us.”

Written by

Ben Palmer

Date

10.02.16

Comments

The External IPSO Review: Terms of Reference

The External IPSO Review will report on how IPSO is fulfilling its role as regulator of the UK newspaper and magazine industries. It will examine the effectiveness of IPSO’s functions, and the extent to which it operates independently. In looking at this, the reviewer will test the degree to which IPSO has been faithful to its publicly stated principles and values.

The review will consider:

1. the independence of IPSO’s Board and Complaints Committee, including appointment, composition and management of conflicts of interest;

2. IPSO’s funding, including consideration of the quantum of funding and the mechanism by which funding is agreed and received;

3. the relationship between IPSO and its members and any issues arising from the nature and range of those publications in membership and those which are not;

4. the relationship with the Regulatory Funding Company;

5. the relationship with the Editors’ Code Committee and any issues arising from the use of the Editors’ Code as the standard that IPSO enforces;

6. the accessibility of IPSO’s functions to the public, the quality of its customer service and the degree to which it acts to protect the public and be on the public’s side, and the degree to which it is seen by the public as doing so;

7. the effectiveness of the complaints system, its timeliness, the quality of the judgements reached and the appropriateness of the remedies required;

8. the establishment and effectiveness of IPSO’s other functions:

i. Standards (including standards investigations, compliance and the whistle-blower hotline);
ii. Arbitration;
iii. Advisory notices;
iv. External affairs;

9. the effect on industry regulation of issues including declining circulation and advertising revenue, consolidation of publishers and titles, increased digitisation and convergence;

10. other related matters that arise in the course of the review.

The External IPSO Review will be conducted by Sir Joseph Pilling and published in his name; the aim will be to complete the review within six months.

The review will be seeking input from any interested party, including members of the general public. To contact the review please go to the website at: www.ipsoreview.co.uk

For all press enquiries about the review please contact Tim Fallon via email press@ipsoreview.co.uk

For any press enquiries about the appointment process for Sir Joseph Pilling, please contact Niall Duffy at IPSO on 0300 123 222