News Group Newspapers & The Damage to Reporting Integrity

How can the public trust an industry where invasions of privacy and coverups remain commonplace?

Having previously attempted to deny and deflect any wrongdoing, News Group Newspapers have now admitted to serious intrusion, phone hacking, misuse of private information and unlawful activities carried out by private investigators for the Sun and the News of the World against Prince Harry.

It is incredibly disheartening that, during a period when the Sun and NGN could have carried out in-depth reviews and implemented changes to ethical practices of their journalists, they chose to litigate instead.

Prince Harry is in the privileged position of being able to afford to take a media giant like NGN to court and get an apology. The vast majority of the public, however, in a similar position would have been financially ruined by taking a similar course of action.

This can no longer be dismissed as being the case of a few bad apples; self-regulation of the press has failed. Effective and truly independent regulation is the only way to stop these unethical practises which have been commonplace across the industry.

Impress holds its publishers including the Totnes Pulse, to the highest standards in journalism and provides accessible avenues to justice for all. Without rigorous and transparent accountability, the world of journalism risks surrendering public trust forever.