Lord Patten argues against media reforms

LORD Patten, the chairman of the BBC Trust, has argued against statutory regulation of newspapers in a lecture at the Society of Editors’ annual conference.

In a speech last night entitled “Ethics and Journalism after the News of the World”, he said proper reform could be achieved only by journalists.

Lord Patten, the last governor of Hong Kong, said: “Statutory regulation of the press would be more than wrong-headed, it would pose a real danger to the public discourse that underpins our democracy.

“So the responsibility to ensure high standards of professionalism rests with journalists, their editors and their proprietors.”

Lord Patten said he may have to go before the Leveson Inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the press.

He said: “If so, I hope I can make a convincing case that the sort of regulation that covers us is appropriate for broadcasters but would not work for newspapers.

“There is a kind of symbiosis between the BBC and the press. We do different but complementary things.

“The style of the tabloids is not something we could or should try to match. But nor should we be snobbish about it.”

Lord Patten acknowledged the “alleged hacking and police pay-offs were indefensible”, but applauded the tabloids’ “vitality”, which he said contributed to the public good.

“Their vigour is an important part of the liveliness of our democracy,” he said.

Referring to criticisms aimed at media in the wake of the scandals, Lord Patten said he agreed with Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre “that a lot of the noise is unfair and unwelcome to a great number of journalists in this country”.