Joining IPSO

Why be regulated by IPSO?

IPSO regulation is a sign of high standards. Carrying the IPSO mark on your site or in your publication shows your readers you are committed to upholding the highest quality of journalism. Choosing to be accountable in this way is a sign of a professional and responsible publisher.

Being part of the independent system of regulation overseen by IPSO also provides you with the benefits of access to IPSO’s unparalleled experience of editorial experience. IPSO regulates publishers of every type, from all across the UK, and has handled over a hundred thousand complaints and completed thousands of investigations and mediations.

IPSO provides fast, constructive, useful pre-publication editorial guidance that draws on our wide experience, often including relevant case studies. We are also on hand to offer help and advice on how to handle complaints received after publication in an effective, proportionate way.

We are backed by the majority of UK publishers and regulate the majority of the UK press.

Being regulated by IPSO shows your readers you are committed to upholding the highest quality of journalism. Your publication or website will carry the IPSO mark as a sign of quality, trusted, regulated journalism. An annual statement about your compliance with the Editors’ Code will be published on IPSO’s website.

Complaints handling

IPSO can deal with complaints when a publication’s complaints process has been exhausted in a robust and impartial way. We handle tens of thousands of complaints every year. Our team of experienced complaints officers can help mediate complaints and ensure complainants and publishers get a fair hearing.

Guidance and training

IPSO offers guidance for editors and journalists on a range of subjects. We can also provide free bespoke training which explains our complaints process and how we approach difficult issues. We can also focus on particular clauses of the Editors’ Code or rulings that a publisher thinks are interesting and relevant to their work.

Pre-publication advice

If you have concerns about possible editorial standards issues around a story you are working on, you can call us and receive non-binding advice on how to navigate the situation, including how the Editors’ Code would apply, points you might want to consider, and relevant case studies. This service is available 24 hours a day for urgent issues.

Low cost alternative to court

IPSO offers an arbitration scheme for some publishers it regulates, which provides a low-cost way to pursue certain media law claims against participating publishers as an alternative to initiating legal proceedings. National newspapers have chosen to be part of a compulsory scheme, which means that they must participate where a claim is suitable for arbitration.

What do members have to do?

We have a legal contract with all our publishers lasting five years. At the end of each five-year period (which is the same for all publishers), publishers can choose to exit the system by giving a year’s notice. By binding both IPSO and publishers into the system on transparent and robust terms, this long-term contract guarantees IPSO’s independence and provides certainty for publishers about IPSO’s powers, remit and governance arrangements.

Publishers regulated by IPSO must agree to follow the Editors’ Code, set up an effective complaints-handling process and abide by the decisions of our Complaints Committee. We also require submission of an annual statement which sets out a publishers’ approach to editorial standards, complaints handling, training, and details of any upheld complaints.

We can provide more information about regulated publishers’ responsibilities on inquiry at the email address below. Alternatively, the full Scheme Membership Agreement, which sets out both sides’ obligations, is published on our website here.

How much does it cost?

The fee for regulation by IPSO starts from about £200 a year. Please contact us for more information: membership@ipso.co.uk

The job of setting and collecting fees to fund IPSO regulation is done by a separate organisation set up for this purpose called the Regulatory Funding Company. This arms’ length approach protects our independence.

Find out more

To learn more about being regulated by IPSO, contact membership@ipso.co.uk