Privacy and Injunctions - Evidence - Parliament

Richard Desmond, chairman, Northern & Shell Network Ltd, Paul Ashford, Editorial
Director, Northern & Shell Network Ltd, and Hugh Whittow, editor, Daily Express—Oral
evidence (QQ 584–696)
Q591 Mr Bradshaw: Do you think it should be voluntary or statutory? That is the key.
Paul Ashford: Voluntary.
Q592 Mr Bradshaw: Voluntary, but more independent than the current one?
Paul Ashford: Correct.
Q593 Mr Bradshaw: Should it have editors on its board?
Paul Ashford: No.
Q594 Mr Bradshaw: No. That has been part of your problem, has it?
Paul Ashford: I think it is better that they have more detachment from the industry.
I do not see any reason why editors should make particularly good regulators any more than
regulators should make particularly good editors. I think the calling of a regulator is more
akin to that of a lawyer.
Q595 Mr Bradshaw: But it is going to be voluntary, and you seem to be saying the only
thing it is going to base itself on is quality and reputation.
Paul Ashford: Yes.
Q596 Mr Bradshaw: Any other incentives? What about financial incentives to join and to
stay in?
Paul Ashford: I think not. Reputation is the key thing, and trying to regulate us so
that we don’t all go to extremes in competing with each other and do things that might
potentially infringe privacy.
Q597 Lord Dobbs: I must declare an interest. I have over a number of years contributed
frequently to the Daily Express, everything from articles on the end of civilisation to the death
of my cat, although it is very difficult to tell the difference between the two.
But in all seriousness, you have been very interesting. You said that there is nothing
in principle about your membership of the PCC; it is the way that it has worked in practice.
So let me ask you, would you say that the PCC in its present form is a busted flush and
should be done away with and replaced with a different sort of body? Or would you prefer
to make changes to the current PCC, and if so, what changes?
Richard Desmond: Answer A. Your answer?
Paul Ashford: My answer would be that what underlies the PCC, the Editors’ Code
and enforcing it, is sound. You would have to reconstitute it; a lot of the present people I
would not advocate having on it, not because of who they are but because of what they are.
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