MEDIA STANDARDS

That this House commends the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) for its work in improving media standards and championing quality journalism; notes that the NUJ is a core participant at the Leveson Inquiry; believes that this is fitting as the NUJ represents thousands of journalists throughout the press including national and local newspapers; supports the NUJ's campaign for a Conscience Clause for journalists, which will protect them in their workplaces if they are asked to carry out work that would compromise their journalistic ethics; believes that the Press Complaints Commission failed as a regulatory body and should be replaced by a truly independent body which has press freedom and high journalistic standards at its core and which includes representatives of ordinary journalists and the wider public in a co-regulatory approach; further believes that in order to be effective such a body needs to be underpinned by statute with a press ombudsman to mediate with the public; and supports such a body having the power to hear appeals from the ombudsman and administer an ethical code, such as the NUJ code of conduct, as well as the powers of investigation and the ability to decide on punishments including fines and compensation for newspapers which breach the code.