We have published our 10th Annual Report on the Recognition System, marking more than a decade since independent press self-regulation under the Royal Charter was established following the Leveson Inquiry.
The report, laid before Parliament and the Scottish Parliament, assesses whether the Recognition System is functioning as intended and what the current regulatory landscape means for the public.
A decade on
Ten years after we first reported on the Recognition System’s effectiveness and independence, the framework continues to operate for participating publishers. Where it is used, independent oversight, clear standards, and access to low-cost arbitration are available. However, participation remains limited.
Impress remains the only regulator recognised under the Royal Charter. Most major national publishers operate outside the system, either belonging to a trade complaints body or relying on internal complaints arrangements.
This year’s report draws on more than 35 submissions to our recent Call for Information from regulators, publishers, academics, civil society organisations, and members of the public.
Press harm in a changing news landscape
The report finds that press-related harm has not disappeared. Its form has evolved in a digital environment in which stories are shared, reframed, and amplified across platforms.
Submissions describe misleading, intrusive, and discriminatory reporting and its impact on individuals and communities. Several organisations highlighted the cumulative effects of repeated coverage on marginalised groups.
Fragmented access to redress
The press plays an essential democratic role, but public confidence depends on clear and effective standards and meaningful accountability.
Access to redress varies by publisher. Where a publisher participates in a recognised regulator, standards and governance arrangements are independently assessed against the Royal Charter criteria, and low-cost arbitration is available. Where they do not, protections are uneven and access to redress is limited.
The incentives designed to encourage participation in the Recognition System were never commenced and have since been repealed. As a result, the system has not operated at the scale originally envisaged.
Our Chair, Kathryn Cearns OBE, said:
“The substantial harm caused by inaccurate, misleading and intrusive press reporting to individuals and communities across the UK is clearly evident. Lives are being destroyed, intruded upon, and marginalised groups in particular face sustained and enduring attacks.
“Digital distribution, algorithmic amplification, and AI-assisted production, coupled with weak and inconsistent oversight, are magnifying this problem, sowing division and stoking community tensions.
“The existing fully independent Recognition System remains operational. It protects the public through clear and consistent complaints processes, high standards, structural safeguards, and an independently assessed arbitration scheme that offers low-cost redress. Yet despite this, most news providers have chosen to remain outside the system, overseeing their own output, leaving ordinary people at the mercy of political and industry choices.”
Recommendations
The report concludes that the Recognition System remains capable of operating at scale in the modern news landscape. It recommends renewed consideration of incentives to support wider participation, and clarity in statutory definitions and exemptions, so that the privileges attached to news publishers are aligned with accountability to an Approved Regulator.
It also encourages publishers to participate in a recognised regulator, reform existing bodies to meet the Royal Charter criteria, or establish new regulators capable of seeking recognition.
Further information
An Executive Summary of the report is available here.
The full report can be read here.
Responses to our recent Call for Information are available here.
Engagement
We are ready to present the report’s findings and discuss its conclusions with anyone with an interest in press standards and public protection. Please contact office@pressrecognitionpanel.org.uk if this would be helpful.
