From next year, corrections involving the Press Complaints Commission - which oversees press self regulation in the UK - will be agreed with the PCC in advance, under new rules agreed by the Editors' Code Committee, which reviews the Code.
Clause 1ii, which covers accuracy, will be changed to say (amendment in italics):
1ii) A significant inaccuracy, misleading statement or distortion once recognised must be corrected, promptly and with due prominence, and - where appropriate - an apology published. In cases involving the Commission, prominence should be agreed with the PCC in advance.
The change, agreed by the Code Committee following consultation with the industry and the PCC, takes effect from 1 January 2011.
Code Committee secretary Ian Beales said: "This amendment is designed to help kill the myth that newspapers and magazines routinely bury corrections. Research conducted by the PCC has shown this to be untrue - nearly 85% of PCC-negotiated corrections and apologies appear no further back than the original transgression, or in a designated corrections column.
"It is also the case that most editors already consult with the PCC informally on the position of corrections. This change formalises that position in the hope that it will remove one, at least, of the misconceptions about the PCC and the self-regulatory system."
To view or download the new Code in 1-page A4 format click here.
The Code Committee has also announced that it will in future publish minutes of its meetings on its website, www.editorscode.org.uk
To view the minutes of the committee's October meeting click here.
