Newspapers: Historical Context

Research:

Licencing Act of 1662: An act that was enforced to prevent abuse in printing revolutionary treasonable and unlicensed books and pamphlets and for regulating the printing press and other printing.

Tax on newspapers 1917: The first bill on taxing newspapers was advocated in 1711 however didn’t follow through until 1712 and charged half a penny on papers of half a sheet or less and a penny on newspapers that ranged from over half a sheet to a single sheet in size.

The Observer: The observer is a British newspaper published on a Sunday, that is sisters with the guardian newspaper.

Reduction of the stamp tax in 1836: After the stamp tax was increased in 1792 many radicals refused to pay and by 1836 the stamp tax had been reduced from 4d to 1d, after John Roebuck led a campaign against the payment of stamp tax.

‘Golden age’ of newspaper circulation: From the arrival of the penny papers in the 1830s to the coming of radio news around 1930, the American newspaper celebrated its Golden Age and years of greatest influence on society.

Profits from advertising: For national newspapers the last couple of years have seemed to be a near-death experience. Paid-for circulation is in decline, but cover prices have frequently risen to mitigate the revenue loss. The vast majority of advertising revenue comes via media intermediaries. They, in theory, as the guardians of their client’s marketing/media budgets, guide the money into a relatively small proportion of the large opportunities that the internet provides. Used properly, the internet can provide excellent returns and very cost effective marketing but in many instances there is insufficient understanding of exactly what is going on. According to Ebiquity (the largest UK media auditor) 75% of the money in the marketing pot does not actually reach the publisher from an advertiser using “programmatic” or automated bid-based advertising on the internet.

The Press Council: The Press Council is a body established in the UK in 1953 to raise and maintain professional standards among journalist

The Independent: The Independent is a British online newspaper. Established in 1986 as an independent national morning newspaper published in London, it was controlled by Tony O'Reilly's Independent News & Media from 1997 until it was sold to Russian oligarch Alexander Lebedev in 2010. The last printed edition of The Independent was published Saturday 20 March 2016, leaving only its digital editions. In June 2015, it had an average daily circulation of just below 58,000, 85 per cent down from its 1990 peak, while the Sunday edition had a circulation of just over 97,000. Due to sales declining, The Independent printed its last daily title on 26th March and the last Independent on Sunday 20th March. It is now all online. 

Phone Hacking Scandal: The News of the World was closed down in 2011 after its owners, Rupert Murdoch's News International, admitted the scale of hacking that had been going on, dating back many years. The company had battled against growing allegations for two years - one of its private investigators and the News of the World's royal editor were jailed in 2007 over a story gleaned from hacking. Voicemails left on Milly Dowler's phone were intercepted after she went missing. The paper's original position - that rogue staff had acted alone - could not stand. Eventually Rupert Murdoch decided he had no choice but to close the newspaper down after it emerged Milly Dowler, a teenager who was abducted and murdered, had her voicemails hacked. The Crown Prosecution Service charged two former editors - Rebekah Brooks and her successor Andy Coulson with conspiracy to intercept mobile voicemails alongside others connected to the newspaper.

Decline in newspaper circulation: The latest set of ABC figures for national newsprint sales confirm a long-running downward trend in the popular and mid-market sectors. They indicate just how close titles are to the brink of the cliff. The Daily Express, for example, sold an average of 391,626 copies a day in December 2016, down by 2.3% on the same month the year before. The Daily Star was down by 2.5% to 440,471. As their revenues have been squeezed, newspapers have also been increasingly overwhelmed by other media taking away not only their readers, but their principal sources of profit. Many of these 'new media' are not saddled with expensive union contracts, printing presses, delivery fleets and overhead built over decades. One estimate put the percentage of online news derived from newspapers at 80%.

What is IPSO?

The Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) is the independent regulator for the newspaper and magazine industry in the UK. We hold newspapers and magazines to account for their actions, protect individual rights, uphold high standards of journalism and help to maintain freedom of expression for the press.

What does IPSO do?

We make sure that member newspapers and magazines follow the Editors' Code.

We investigate complaints about printed and online material that may breach the Editors’ Code.

We can make newspapers and magazines publish corrections or adjudications if they breach the Editors’ Code (including on their front page).

We monitor press standards and require member newspapers and magazines to submit an annual statement about how they follow the Editors’ Code and handle any complaints.

We can investigate serious standards failings and can fine publishers up to £1 million in cases where they are particularly serious and systemic.

We operate a 24-hour anti-harassment advice line.

We provide advice for editors and journalists.

We provide training and guidance for journalists so they can uphold the highest possible standards.

We provide a Whistleblowing Hotline for journalists who feel they are being pressured to act in a way that is not in line with the Editors' Code.

We work with charities, NGOs and other organisations to support and improve press standards.