What is Media Regulation?

Media content regulation in the UK revolves primarily around codes of practice, drawn up by a variety of bodies which are either entirely or largely independent, following wide public consultation. In some cases, these codes
of practice have been developed by bodies with statutory powers over the media while in others the responsible bodies have been established by the media or journalists themselves. It is the purpose of this paper to describe the various codes of practice which are applied to the media, as well as the systems for promoting adherence to these codes.