Sir Alan Moses Confirms IPSO Will Not Seek Charter Recognition

Independent Press Standards Organisation chairman Sir Alan Moses has said there would be no point in IPSO seeking recognition under the royal charter when all its members “have set their face” against it.

Speaking at a House of Lords Communications Committee hearing on Tuesday, Sir Alan stressed the independence of IPSO’s board and the complaints committee.

He said: “Those who applied to be and those who have signed up to be members of the board and those who are members of the complaints committee are fully committed to our principles and understand that their reputations are on the line, that the moment someone can say with foundation that ‘you are not acting independently and free from the control of those you purport to regulate’ it’s their reputations that will suffer.”

“And we chose the members of the board and we chose the members of the complaints committee who satisfied us they were going to be able to do that.”

Sir Alan Moses explained why IPSO would not be seeking recognition from the panel established under the royal charter for press regulation: “The question as to seeking recognition as to IPSO’s point of view is irrelevant because none of those members of the press who have signed up contractually want to belong to a regulator that seeks recognition.”

“So for us the question does not arise nor does it arise in relation to those publications who have not yet signed up since they… have set their face against the charter.”

Speaking about IPSO members, Sir Alan said: “They have taken a theological objection to the charter so there’s no point independently from our members in seeking recognition that they have set their face against.”