Select committee investigates self regulation

The House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport select committee has announced it intends inquiring into self regulation and the PCC code of conduct following the jailing of a News of the World reporter for accessing a royal voicemail and the paparazzi harassment of royal girlfriend Kate Middleton. The investigation will look at whether self-regulation of newspapers is working, whether the PCC code needs beefing up and how newspaper websites should be regulated. The PCC leapt into action, announcing that it would be regulating audio and video on newspaper and magazine websites (it already claimed to regulate text on such websites).
The likely message that the committee will hear from most of those who send them evidence is that there's little wrong with the PCC's code that actually applying it rigorously and with penalties wouldn't sort out. Since the Select Committee said much the same itself in 2003, it seems unlikely they will take a different approach now.
The Committee will act quickly with written evidence to be in by February 26th and oral evidence to be heard in March.