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The PCC has seen a dramatic rise in the number of complaints made in 2009. It received 4,698 complaints in 2008, compared with 37,000 contacts in writing during 2009.

Jan Moir's piece about the death of Boyzone singer Stephen Gately in the Daily Mail received the most contact over one complaint during the year: over 25,000 contacts in writing. The most complained about article in 2008 received 584.

However, the PCC stresses these contacts are not representative of the number of complaints dealt with: "When 500 people have written to us, all concerned about precisely the same thing, we have counted them as 500 separate complaints (despite the fact that the PCC only makes a single ruling).

"This approach has become unsustainable at a time when the number of (often unsubstantive) contacts by email continues to rise significantly."

The PCC, therefore, emphasised that complaints investigated were 1134. Over 50 per cent of all investigations looked at cases at national titles; 33 per cent concerned regional publications.

"The PCC made 1731 rulings in 2009. In those cases the PCC required remedial action or criticised the editor in regard of 43 per cent of the complaint," says the PCC. Eighteen public censures were made of the 738 complaints with merit, compared with 24 out of 678 in 2008.

"The PCC resolved over 600 complaints to the satisfaction of the complainant," the body says.

The PCC recently carried out a public survey [ PDF at this link ] which "showed that 80 per cent of complainants said that the complaint had been dealt with thoroughly or very thoroughly."

Asked about a possible name change, Baroness Peta Buscombe, who took over from the previous chair Sir Christopher Meyer last year, said that she had considered it, but changed her mind after seeing the results of recent polling.

"[H]aving seen the polling, I feel much more confident the public know who we are."

At yesterday's press briefing, Buscombe's emphasised the importance of communicating the PCC's work: "There is a positive story to tell about the Press Complaints Commission but we haven't been very good at telling it."

There have been some misconceptions about what the body does, she said. That was, she said, why there was "rather more than is normal in an annual review" - including a day in the life feature about a Commissioner and more information about complaint officers. "I felt it was important to shine a light; to reflect on the way our organisation works.

"There's a team of complaint officers doing a huge amount that isn't reflected in the story we tell."

Buscombe defended the Commission's independence from the press itself, something she says is an issue in the House of Lords, as well as among the public. She denied there was a "cosy relationship" between the PCC and the newspapers.

"I think it's absolutely right the press funds its own policemen."

An independent governance review into the PCC is due to be published in late June 2010.

The PCC review can be read at this link: http://www.pcc.org.uk/review09/

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Written by
Judith Townend

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