Lobbying & Campaigns

The Society and its member publishers are fully involved in highly successful lobbying, representational and public affairs work in Westminster, Whitehall and Brussels, and in the industry's self-regulatory system - the Advertising Standards Authority and the Press Complaints Commission.

The Society also plays an active role in the European Newspaper Publishers Association (ENPA) and the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) on a European and International level.

The Society's Lobbying Aims:

• Establishment of a regulatory and commercial environment which encourages and supports dynamic development of the UK's regional newspaper industry.

• Maintenance of an effective lobbying voice for regional newspapers in Westminster, Whitehall and Brussels.

• Promotion of freedom of expression: protection of press freedom and the citizen's right to know; support of effective press self-regulation.

• Modernisation of media-ownership regulation to enable newspapers to develop as integrated media businesses; reform of newspaper ownership rules; development of cross-media ownership liberalisation; fair competition for the regional press in ownership, access and development of new media.

• Promotion of publishers' intellectual property rights: legal protection of publishers' right to derive and enjoy the full benefit of their investment in editorial content.

• Freedom from taxation of the printed word; preservation of zero-rate VAT on newspapers; promotion of advertising and marketing freedom of expression, underpinned by responsible self-regulation.

• Promoting a UK employment law framework which is supportive of, and conducive to, the varied and particular demands of managing 24-hour media operations.

• Development of industry training: vocational training strategies which meet the evolving needs of regional newspapers as part of the communication and information industries.

• Promotion of an industry-based approach to environmental responsibility: development of newspaper strategies for newsprint recycling based on voluntary agreements.