How to Make an IPSO Complaint About a Newspaper or Magazine

IPSO, the Independent Press Standards Organisation, is the regulator for most UK newspapers and magazines and their websites. If a member publication has broken the Editors’ Code of Practice, for example by publishing something inaccurate or intruding into your privacy, you can complain. You normally give the publication the chance to put it right first, then IPSO can investigate and, if it upholds the complaint, require a correction or publish its ruling through the publication itself.

IPSO doesn’t cover everyone. Some publications are regulated by IMPRESS instead, some have their own complaints systems, and TV and radio are handled by Ofcom. This guide explains who covers what, how to complain, and what a complaint can and can’t achieve. It’s general information, not legal advice.

What IPSO regulates

IPSO was set up in 2014 as the successor to the Press Complaints Commission. Publishers join it voluntarily, and most national and regional newspapers and many magazines are members. Its remit usually covers their print editions and their websites, including content on the publication’s own social media accounts where it’s editorial content.

Before you complain, check who regulates the publication. IPSO publishes a searchable list of the titles it regulates. The main alternatives are:

Who	What it covers	Where your complaint goes
IPSO	Most national, regional and local newspapers and many magazines, plus their websites	The publication first, then IPSO
IMPRESS	A smaller group of publishers, many of them independent, local or online-only news outlets	The publisher first, then IMPRESS, under its own Standards Code
Own complaints system	A few major titles, including the Guardian and the Financial Times, that aren’t members of either regulator	The publication’s own readers’ editor or complaints process
Ofcom	TV, radio and certain on-demand video services	The broadcaster first in most cases, then Ofcom
Nobody	Blogs, personal websites and many online-only outlets that haven’t joined a regulator	The site owner, the host, or legal routes

If a broadcaster is involved, our guide on making an Ofcom complaint explains that route.

The Editors’ Code of Practice

IPSO enforces the Editors’ Code, which is written by a committee of editors and lay members. You’ll need to say which part of the Code you think was broken. The clauses people use most are:

• Accuracy. The press must take care not to publish inaccurate, misleading or distorted information, and significant inaccuracies must be corrected promptly and with due prominence. It also requires a fair opportunity to reply to significant inaccuracies when reasonably called for.
• Privacy. Everyone is entitled to respect for their private and family life, home, physical and mental health, and correspondence. Intrusion without consent needs to be justified.
• Harassment. Journalists must not persist in questioning, phoning or photographing people after being asked to stop.
• Intrusion into grief or shock, with sympathy and discretion expected.
• Children, including protections for pupils at school and for children in sex cases.
• Reporting of crime, which protects relatives and friends of people accused or convicted who aren’t otherwise relevant to the story.
• Discrimination, which covers prejudicial or pejorative references to a person’s characteristics, such as race or religion, when they aren’t relevant.

Some clauses allow a public interest exception. A publication can defend a privacy intrusion, for example, by showing it reasonably believed publishing was in the public interest. Accuracy has no public interest exception.

The Code is about standards, not taste. An article can be harsh, one-sided or opinionated without breaching it. Comment and opinion are allowed as long as they’re clearly distinguished from fact.

How to make an IPSO complaint, step by step

1. Check the publication is regulated by IPSO. Use IPSO’s list of member titles.
2. Save the article. Keep the URL, the headline, the date, screenshots and, for print, a copy of the page. Articles can be edited after publication, so capture the version you’re complaining about.
3. Complain to the publication. Most members publish a complaints contact or form, often on a “Contact us” or “Corrections” page. Say exactly what’s wrong, which Code clause it breaches, and what you want, such as a correction, a clarification or removal of private details.
4. Give it a reasonable chance to respond. Many complaints end here, especially clear factual errors backed by documents.
5. Complain to IPSO if you’re not satisfied. Use IPSO’s online complaint form. If you go to IPSO first, it will generally pass the complaint to the publication and give it a period to try to resolve it before IPSO looks at it.
6. Respond to IPSO’s questions. IPSO first checks whether the complaint falls within its remit and raises a possible breach. If it does, it investigates, gathering responses from both sides.
7. Consider mediation. IPSO often tries to help both sides agree an outcome, such as a correction or amendment, before a formal ruling.

A good complaint is specific and short. Here is illustrative wording you can adapt:

I am complaining under Clause 1 (Accuracy) of the Editors’ Code about your article “[headline],” published on [date] at [URL]. The article states that I “was dismissed for misconduct.” That is inaccurate: I resigned, and the attached letter from my former employer confirms it. I ask that you correct the article and publish a correction with due prominence. I would also ask that the online version be amended.

Time limits

IPSO has time limits for complaints, generally measured from the date of publication or of the conduct you’re complaining about. There’s usually more room for articles that are still available online than for print-only content, and IPSO can decline complaints that are too old. Check the current limits on IPSO’s website before you start, and don’t let a slow exchange with the publication run the clock down. If time is short, you can complain to IPSO while you’re still talking to the publication.

Possible outcomes

• Resolved with the publication. The publication agrees to correct or amend the article, publish a clarification, remove private details, add an update, or publish a letter from you. IPSO records the complaint as resolved.
• Not upheld. IPSO’s Complaints Committee decides there was no breach, or that the publication already took sufficient action. The ruling is usually published on IPSO’s website.
• Upheld. The Committee finds a breach. It can require the publication to publish a correction or its adjudication, and it can decide the wording and where it appears, including how prominent it is in print and online.
• Sufficient remedial action. IPSO finds a breach but that the publication’s own correction was enough.

IPSO doesn’t award compensation, and it rarely requires an article to be deleted. For serious or systemic failures, it can launch a standards investigation and impose sanctions, but that’s separate from an individual complaint.

IPSO also offers help if journalists are contacting or photographing you persistently. It can circulate a private advisory notice to editors asking them not to contact you, or explaining that you don’t wish to comment. Editors should take it into account. This is useful in the early hours of a story, before there’s anything to complain about.

A worked example

This is an illustrative scenario, not a real client.

A regional paper reports that Tom, a small café owner in Leeds, “was fined for food hygiene failings.” In fact, the inspection led to advice, not a fine. The story is the top result for his café’s name, and bookings drop.

1. Tom saves the article, the date and a screenshot, and gets a copy of the inspection outcome from the council.
2. He emails the paper’s complaints address citing Clause 1 (Accuracy), attaching the document and asking for a correction and an amended online article.
3. The paper replies that the reporter relied on a source and offers to add a line at the bottom. Tom thinks that isn’t prominent enough.
4. He complains to IPSO. IPSO passes it to the paper, which then agrees to amend the article and publish a correction.
5. Once the online article changes, Tom uses Google’s tool for refreshing outdated content so the old snippet stops showing.

When IPSO isn’t the right route

• Defamation. If an article is false and seriously harms your reputation, you may have a legal claim, with strict time limits. IPSO can’t award damages. Our guide to UK defamation law explains how claims work, and a solicitor can advise whether to use IPSO, a legal letter or both.
• Old but accurate stories. The Code doesn’t require publications to remove accurate archive stories. A direct request to the editor is often better. Our guide on how to remove a news article from Google covers that approach.
• Personal data. Journalism has wide exemptions under data protection law, so a data request rarely removes a news story, though it can help in some cases.
• Broadcasters and online platforms. TV and radio go to Ofcom. Social media posts by individuals go to the platform.

Common mistakes

• Complaining that a story is unfair or negative. Tie your complaint to a Code clause and specific facts.
• Asking only for deletion. A correction or amendment is the outcome IPSO usually delivers. Ask for what fits the breach.
• Letting the time limit pass while waiting for the publication to reply.
• Arguing with the journalist on social media, which can create a new story and doesn’t count as a complaint.
• Complaining to the wrong regulator. Check membership first.

For a wider look at correction requests, including publications outside IPSO, see our guide on requesting a correction or retraction. If an article keeps ranking for your name after a correction, our content removal service can advise on what else is realistic.

Frequently asked questions

What does IPSO do?

IPSO is the independent regulator for most UK newspapers and magazines. It enforces the Editors’ Code of Practice, handles complaints about member publications, and can require corrections or the publication of its rulings. It also offers help to people facing unwanted press attention.

Is it free to complain to IPSO?

Yes. Making a complaint to IPSO doesn’t cost anything, and you don’t need a lawyer. You’ll need to explain which part of the Editors’ Code you think was breached and provide supporting evidence.

Can IPSO make a newspaper remove an article?

Rarely. IPSO’s main remedies are corrections, amendments and the publication of its adjudications. Publications sometimes agree to remove material, such as private details, when resolving a complaint, but IPSO doesn’t generally order deletion.

Does IPSO cover the BBC or other broadcasters?

No. Complaints about TV and radio programs go to the broadcaster first and then, in most cases, to Ofcom. BBC complaints generally go to the BBC first.

What's the difference between IPSO and IMPRESS?

Both regulate UK publishers, but they cover different titles and use different codes. IPSO covers most major newspapers and magazines under the Editors’ Code. IMPRESS regulates a smaller group of publishers, many independent or online-only, under its own Standards Code.