A press council or Committee of Media Ethics is responsible for the self-regulation of the news media in any given area. It should be free from government interference or judicial supervision. Self-regulation ensures that freedom of the press is maintained while helping to raise standards and give redress to members of the public who have a grievance against a newspaper, magazine, broadcast station or newspaper web outlet. A press council will usually administer a code of journalistic practice that has been written by journalists and media owners. Owners usually fund - or help to fund - the administration of the press council. Representatives of media owners, journalists and members of the public will often sit as members of the council. The involvement of such people is an important part of the philosophy of media accountability. There is not, however, a single model for an independent press council and different countries have their own model of press council. Press councils around the world can be reached through the ΑIPCΕ home page.
AIPCE stands for Alliance of Independent Press Councils. It brings together European Independent Press Councils and a conference is hosted annually by one of the members for discussion of issues relating to self-regulation of the Press, the responsibility of the Media and press freedom. Cyprus is hosting AIPCE meeting in Nicosia 19-22 of October 2022.