Further to my previous post concerning the freedom of speech, I am pleased to note the Commons Media Select Committee has backed the role of the Press Complaints Commission and has ruled out relying on law to regulate the press.

Its report said: “To dispense with the current form of self-regulation and to rely exclusively on the law would afford less protection rather than more, and any move towards a statutory regulator for the press would represent a very dangerous interference with the freedom of the press.”

The commission stated that it considered statutory regulation of the press to be a hallmark of authoritarianism and risks undermining democracy.

See their full report here.

Last week brought the sad news that Rick Costello (not his real name) had died of cancer at 52 years of age. Costello, who campaigned for more financial help for terminally ill people, had been followed in his campaign by BBC Five Live, who turned it into an ongoing news story. 

Costello first emailed Five Live before Christmas to express his anger at the lack of Government assistance with winter fuel bills for cancer sufferers, who are especially susceptible to the cold and who presently rely in their thousands on the charity Macmillan Cancer Support to pay their fuel bills – in 2006, the charity paid out £1.4 million to nearly 8,000 people.

Five Live invited Costello on air, where he challenged the Government to meet him to talk about the Winter Fuel Allowance, a universal benefit paid to anyone over 60.  

Five Live helped Costello to secure meetings with Government ministers and senior politicians, and its Breakfast Team followed Costello’s progress as he took his campaign to Westminster.

Accompanied by Breakfast presenter Nicky Campbell, Costello spoke with Labour's Ann McGuire, who headed up the Department of Work and Pensions and Phillip Hammond, her counterpart for the Conservatives. He also spoke with Menzies Campbell.

The Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives took particular interest in Costello’s story, with the Lib Dems tabling a debate in the Commons, and the Conservatives tabling a question highlighting the number of British ex-pats living in warmer climes abroad who nevertheless receive the Winter Fuel Allowance.

Five Live cites Costello’s campaign as an example of how a focus on user-generated stories and their listeners’ opinions are improving the station’s news content. Listen to the podcast here.