IPSO Annual Report: Two thirds of complaints resolved in favour of the public, press standards on the rise

Independent UK press regulator IPSO (Independent Press Standards Organisation) resolved more than two-thirds of investigated complaints in favour of the public last year, according to its 2025 Annual Report.

IPSO received 6,534 complaints and enquiries — roughly one every 17 minutes — highlighting the ongoing scrutiny of UK press standards.

The report details IPSO’s efforts to improve industry standards, investigating 555 complaints, while 5,729 complaints were outside its remit, 140 complaints are still ongoing, and 110 were dealt with through issuing advice, privacy notices or proactive approaches.

Received complaints mostly relate to breaches of accuracy (78 per cent), discrimination (35 per cent), intrusion into grief or shock (21 per cent) or privacy (19 per cent).

The highest number of in-remit complaints was received by express.co.uk (1,366), though the majority were rejected (1320) or not pursued by the complainant (7). The next highest recipient was The Spectator (463), all of which were rejected.

IPSO issued 45 privacy notices throughout this period, warning the industry not to contact those who do not wish to speak to the press. It also published new guidance on reporting children and user-generated content, and delivered training to more than 800 journalists and journalism students combined.

The annual review also features case studies, a breakdown of the most complained-about publications, and insights into IPSO’s privacy support services. Read the full report.

This article was drafted by an AI assistant before it was edited by a human.