Regulation of the press is a constantly recurring theme wherever the Commonwealth press gathers. Journalists demand a free press, but with freedom comes responsibility. The press has the power to form and change opinions and events, maybe even the course of history. The CPU therefore launched its programme on self-regulation in October 2001 with a series of regional seminars.

Self-regulation was the subject of a series of regional seminars in our Press Freedom programme, the last one of which took place in Barbados in June 2002.

The same agenda was used throughout the series and the programme brought together experts from the media, law and academia to debate the issues concerning the pros and cons of self-regulatory systems in Commonwealth countries.

The Press Complaints Commission in the UK was a key supporter of this project and we drew on their expertise and experience through their personnel who attended each seminar. www.pcc.org.uk

As a direct outcome of these seminars, the Eastern Caribbean Press Council was launched in January 2003. In Sri Lanka, a Press Complaints Commission was officially announced and set up after the CPU Biennial Conference in Colombo in February 2003.

Click here for a report on the East African seminar - Nairobi, Kenya, May 2002

Click here for a report on the Barbados Seminar - June 2002

The CPU held a reception in London on Tuesday 26 November 2002 to launch a report entitled 'Imperfect Freedom - The case for self-regulation in the Commonwealth' written by the UK's Press Complaints Committee's consultant, Ian Beales OBE.

The report articulates the problems and issues raised during the Seminar series but also outlines the successes of the programme and clearly sets the agenda for future work in this field.

There is no doubt that this project has struck a chord with our members and our focus now must be to ensure that the momentum is not lost.

Future initiatives must focus on working with countries on an individual basis to support and nurture nascent self-regulatory bodies throughout the Commonwealth.

Click here to view and/or download 'Imperfect Freedom'
(PDF Approx 1MB)

Click here to view and/or download the report's cover
(PDF Approx 130KB)