ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. Intercourse between the press and its readers is rarely a private matter: it is nearly always moderated on behalf of some notion of 'the public in-terest', a factor enshrined in the code of practice of the Press Complaints Commission (PCC). The book focuses on this intercession, which takes two principal forms: regulation and control, which is usually compulsory and commonly at least underwritten, if not enforced, by the State; and accountability, in which the consenting parties enter into voluntary arrangements. The book emphasises the two main problems: a lack of individuals and groups willing systematically to utilize the means and measures available; and overlapping this, the inaccessibility of the press which may be said to be overly protective of its so-called editorial integrity.
