UK: Should news sites display Press Complaints Commission logo?

Posted by Mica Swyers on July 24, 2007 at 11:00 AM

In an effort to restore and increase trust in British news sites, Tim Toulmin, director of the Press Complaints Commission encouraged newspapers to display the PCC logo on their websites to indicate their adherence to a self-regulatory system in journalism.

In a July 23 letter to The Independent, Toulmin explained that newspapers should show readers that they abide by the press Code of Practice by branding their sites with the PCC logo. Such a measure, he said, is “in the interests of everyone: the website in question, the Commission, and most importantly, the person who may wish to complain.”

Toulmin added that Australian publications are already using logos to brand their adherence to a press code and are benefiting from the trust it establishes among readers.

Alan Rusbridger, editor of The Guardian, recently warned the House of Lords committee charged with investigating the communications market that the PCC does not generally punish transgressions of the Code of Practice. Nevertheless, Toulmin insisted that the use of the PCC logo would bring “economic benefits” to newspapers, since it would lead to increased trust among international readers.

Source: Journalism.co.uk