UK to examine press standards in the North

The British government has announced a review of press standards in Northern Ireland.

The move came amid calls, rejected by MPs in the House of Commons, for a second Leveson Inquiry – a reference to the examination of UK media standards in the wake of the telephone hacking scandal sparked by the activities of the Murdoch press.

As the call was voted down, culture secretary Matt Hancock announced that a "named person" would be appointed to examine the press in the North, which was excluded from the Leveson Inquiry

During the two-hour debate, North Antrim MP Ian Paisley asked how – given Northern Ireland's was "precluded" from Leveson – the government intended to examine press behaviour in Northern Ireland, which he characterised as a "Leveson for Northern Ireland".

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Following the debate, the Department for Culture Media and Sport added: "We have proposed a statutory review of journalists' compliance with the new data protection regulations in four years from Royal Assent of the Bill. Within this ICO review, or aligned to it, we will make sure there is an independent named reviewer for Northern Ireland."

The reviewer was not identified, not the scope of their work.

– Agencies