The Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) today announced its plans to enhance and outsource the service provision of its dedicated whistleblowers hotline.
IPSO has operated a hotline for more than a year and today’s agreement demonstrates the regulator’s continued commitment to providing an independent and confidential service for any journalist who feels they are being pressured to act in a way that is not in line with the Editors' Code of Practice.
Journalists who work for any of IPSO’s 2,500 regulated publications and would like to confidentially register their concerns or seek advice can call the hotline on 0800 032 0243, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Previously, the service was an office-hours only provision, with an out-of-hours voicemail service, operated from the IPSO offices. Journalists can raise a concern online using this form.
IPSO has worked closely with the new provider to develop robust procedures and to ensure confidentiality and protection for the whistleblower. Details of the new service will be communicated to all IPSO member publications.
Commenting on the agreement, Charlotte Urwin, IPSO’s Head of Standards said:
“Journalists should never feel under pressure to act in a way that is contrary to the Editors’ Code. The provision of a whistleblowers’ hotline, so that they can raise concerns, is a crucial part of the work of an independent and effective press regulator. By contracting with an experienced external provider who has considerable knowledge of providing similar services to a number of private and public sector institutions, IPSO is confident that the hotline meets the very highest standards available.”