Nick
Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister called
for independent, rather than the current self-regulation of newspapers.
"It
is not an investigative body, it is a complaints body at best, and
a toothless one. Unless the person directly affected by the story
complains, it has no right to investigate. So the hundreds of people
who were appalled in 2008 by the hounding of Kate Middleton by photographers
had no power - unless she herself complained, the PCC could not investigate,"
he said.
"It
is run by the media, for the media, and no wonder it has no teeth. Newspapers
can simply hide an apology at the back of the paper, or - as the Express
and Star have done - opt out altogether".