The Complaints Committee judges complaints relating to potential breaches of the Editors’ Code and decides on what a newspaper or magazine should do if the Code has been breached, including whether or not to find that publication of a correction or critical ruling is needed to remedy a breach of the Code, and where this should appear. The Committee has 12 members including Chairman Lord Edward Faulks, who is the Committee's Chair. The majority of the members are independent and have no connections with the newspaper and magazine industry. The others have recent senior experience in the newspaper or magazine industries but are not currently serving editors.
Lord Faulks has a long career as a barrister specialising in claims arising from the Human Rights Act, professional and clinical negligence, personal injury, education, police claims and public law. He became a QC in 1996. He was appointed to the House of Lords in 2010 and served as Justice Minister from 2013-2016. He now sits as an unaffiliated peer.
Richard Best spent more than 25 years working in print media. He served as editor of the North Devon Journal, Mid Devon Gazette and West Briton. He was also managing editor of Cornwall Today. He now runs the consultancy Straightshot Communications.
Nazir Afzal was Chief Crown Prosecutor for the North West of England and has prosecuted some of the UK’s most high profile cases, including child sex abuse in Rochdale. More recently, he has worked as an international expert on extremism and radicalisation and is a member of the Manchester Mayor’s Commission for Cohesion. Nazir was awarded an OBE for his work with the CPS and involvement with local communities.
Andy Brennan was a Deputy Director in the National Crime Agency and prior to this, a senior police officer in the West Yorkshire Police where he held positions as the Head of the Homicide and Major Enquiry Teams and Head of Professional Standards and Counter Corruption Unit. He was awarded the Queens Police Medal for services to policing and the public in 2012.
Janette Harkess is a former journalist who has worked in senior roles across a range of titles in Scotland. She was Head of Media for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and was previously Director of Policy and Research for the Scottish Council for Development and Industry. A Board member of National Theatre of Scotland and Scottish Youth Theatre, she is also an Honorary Vice President of the Journalists' Charity.
David Hutton spent 22 years as a senior leader in secondary schools, initially as Deputy Head and then as Head. He represented fellow headteachers on Suffolk’s Schools’ Forum, chaired the Governing Body of a Special School, and was a founder member of the Ipswich Opportunity Area Board. He is also a qualified Ofsted Inspector.
Helyn Mensah is a barrister specialising in intellectual property law at 33 Bedford Row chambers. She has experience in a broad range of intellectual property matters and has advised a number of well-known domestic and international clients. In addition to her practice, Helyn sits as a member of the Strategic Governance Panel to the new English non-household water retail market, and chairs its General Data Protection Regulation Committee.
Andrew Pettie has worked as a journalist and editor for newspapers, magazines and publishers including the Telegraph Media Group where he was the Executive Head of Culture, EMAP, the BBC and Encyclopaedia Britannica. He is now a consultant, contributing editor and writer.
Mark Payton is an editor and journalist with more than 30 years of specialist consumer publishing experience. Most recently, Mark was editorial director of Haymarket Consumer Media, managing the content strategy for a portfolio of online and print brands in sport, music, technology and automotive. He is now an editorial consultant, lecturer and writer.
Miranda Winram was Head of Strategy and Insight and a Board Member of Forest Enterprise, England’s largest landowner and most visited outdoor space, until 2019. She was a non-exec member of the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s Fitness to Practice committee between 2009 and 2017 and is currently a public appointee to the Lord Chancellor’s Advisory Committee for Gloucestershire. Miranda is presently travelling the UK with her toddler and dog, making the most of the time before her son starts school.
Peter Wright is Editor Emeritus at Associated Newspapers and was a member of the Implementation Group which co-ordinated the newspaper industry’s response to the Leveson Inquiry and the creation of IPSO. He was formerly Editor of The Mail on Sunday, and a member of both the Editors’ Code Committee and the Press Complaints Commission
Complaints Committee code of conduct
Complaints Committee handbook
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The Independent Press Standards Organisation C.I.C. is a Community Interest Company limited by guarantee and registered in England and Wales with registered number 02538908.
