British Press Self-regulation Mechanism

This study set out to explore the origins, development, advantages and problem of self-regulation of the press in the United Kingdom. Putting journalistic self-regulation on a broader level, it reveals the relationship between the success of PCC and the cultural tradition, institute and developmental mode of the United Kingdom and explains that the ethics origin of the survival of PCC is utilitarianism.The workings of self-regulation, in the form of the Press Council (1953-90) and it's successor, the Press Complaints Commission (1991- ), were explored in terms of their finances, membership, procedures and codes in the third chapter. There is a brief introduction and analysis to "Code of Practice" and the evolving of Code in the fourth chapter. The fifth chapter is of case studies, using the analysis method of New Institutional Economics. In the end the adequacies and inadequacies of the actions of PCC were analyzed. According to the apparent weaknesses of PCC, being highly respected is necessary.