ABSTRACT

The Leveson Inquiry was a major game changer for the press in the UK. The Inquiry started work in the summer of 2011 and reported in November 2012 after hearing evidence from numerous people including politicians, industry spokespersons and the public. The Press Recognition Panel was set up under the Charter in November 2014. Funded by the Treasury to the tune of £3m it is chaired by David Wolfe QC. The Press Recognition Panel started its work consulting widely about regulation and started taking applications from regulators in 2015. Despite Leveson’s recommendations and parliaments attempts to put them into practice through a royal charter, the industry went ahead with the Hunt plan and set up a new self-regulatory body, the Independent Press Standards Organisation. This new body took over the work of the Press Complaints Commission but failed to pick up a number of the L. J. Leveson recommendations on independence, investigation and arbitration.