IPSO: Analysis of rulings in 2020 exposes the ineffectiveness of the press complaints handler – Hacked Off

The campaigning group Hacked Off has published a new report, “An analysis of IPSO Rulings across the year 2020″ [pdf] by Professor Paul Wragg and Dr Tom Chivers.  demonstrates the systematic failure of the press’ own complaints handler, IPSO.

The  findings of the report include:

• On average it took 164 days, almost 6 months, for IPSO to reach a ruling on complaints.
• Only 0.3% of complaints were ultimately upheld in full.
• 50% of upheld or partially upheld complaints involved breaches of the accuracy clause in the Editors’ Code.
• Only 1% of complaints  involving privacy were upheld
• A total of 1571 complaints were abandoned, 94% of complaints were rejected and 5.3% of complaints were abandoned.
• Corrections requested by IPSO were – on average – seven times shorter than the originally published article which IPSO had found to be in breach of the Editors Code.

The report also pointed out that in 2020 (like every previous year of IPSO’s operation), it had conducted no investigations, imposed no fines and reported no arbitration outcomes.

This followings a damning report in June 2021, “IPSO: Regulator or Complaints Handler? [pdf]” which concluded that the press industry had made it almost impossible for IPSO to gather complete information on code breaches, and therefore to monitor compliance with regulatory standards and that “IPSO’s hands have been tied by the industry, and… does not have the tools to fulfil the task of genuinely independent and effective self-regulation.”