Industry News

Specialist publishers welcome Government move to more robust press independence

The PPA welcomes the Government’s move to repeal Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act in the Media Bill, which is returning to the House of Lords this week.

If Section 40 were ever enacted, publishers would be forced to sign up to a state-backed regulator or to pay both sides of their legal costs if they were sued. This would undermine the role of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), who – as the largest regulator of magazine media and specialist publishers in the UK – we believe effectively upholds press standards whilst also allowing the press to maintain independence from the state.

By fulfilling its manifesto commitment of repealing Section 40, the Government is removing unnecessary and burdensome regulatory uncertainty. This provides the businesses that keep the publishing ecosystem running with much-needed security, which is particularly welcome at a time when the sector is responding to rapid change in emerging technology and digital information services.

Related Articles:

PPA Member Login

If you have a member login, enter your details below. Please note, that your login is for PPA.co.uk only and not for our event sites.

If you are a member but don’t have an account yet, you can setup your account here.

Any problems, please contact membership@ppa.co.uk.