PCC rejects media watchdog criticism

The Press Complaints Commission has rejected criticism that it was not "fit for purpose", condemning a report by a media watchdog group as ill informed and ill tempered. The Media Standards Trust issued a report on Monday stating that public trust in the newspaper industry was sinking fast and that the PCC needed to be reformed if it was to become relevant to the self-regulation of the UK press. Basing its contentions on public opinion surveys, the trust said the PCC's inadequacies contributed to the decline in public faith in newspapers, particularly over the correction of accuracies and invasion of privacy. The commission came out strongly in defence of its role and said the report had been a missed opportunity. Tim Toulmin, the director of the PCC, described the report as a "hatchet job".