The Press Recognition Panel (PRP) has published its ninth Annual Report on the Recognition System, as required by our Royal Charter.
Annual Report on the Recognition System – February 2025
The report reflects on the events of 2024, including the rolling back of the Leveson Inquiry’s recommendations around independent press self-regulation, increasing the risk to the public from press intrusion and harm, and the need for the Government to take action to address this.
Evidence of press intrusion and harm continues to emerge. Powerful sections of the press can destroy lives with virtual impunity – whether it is CCTV footage of a fatal hit and run being posted on a news publisher’s website for clickbait, informing siblings on the doorstep of the death of their brother in a terrorist attack, or falsely accusing individuals of murder. The press does not tend to report on its failings unless forced to, so you are unlikely to read about these issues in the news.
You can read a one-page summary of the report’s main chapters and conclusion in our headline briefings below:
- Headline briefing 1: The public has been abandoned
- Headline briefing 2: Doing nothing is not an option
- Headline briefing 3: Objections to independent press self-regulation are misconceived
- Headline briefing 4: Waiting for the next scandal?
We are happy to arrange to present the report’s findings to anyone with an interest in our work. As always, if you would find it helpful to discuss any aspect of our work, please get in touch at office@pressrecognitionpanel.org.uk.
Call for information responses
In preparing our report, we held a public call for information from 26 September to 16 December 2024. We have published the responses we received where we have permission to do so:
- Support after Murder and Manslaughter (SAMM) – 01 SAMM
- Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) – 02 ICO
- Guardian News and Media – 03 Guardian
- Hacked Off – 04 Hacked Off
- The Press Justice Project – 05 Press Justice Project
- Impress – 06 Impress
- Financial Times – 07 Financial Times
- Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) – 08 SRA
- Iain Wilson, Partner, Brett Wilson LLP – 09 Iain Wilson
- Liberal Democrats DCMS Team – 10 Lib Dems
