HOW dare David Cameron (November 30) try to wriggle out of proper controls on the media?

Lord Leveson is spot on. We need a commission independent of both Government and the newspapers to guarantee decent standards.

But it has to be underwritten by a legal framework. Self-regulation has failed time and again.

To pretend that ‘freedom of the press’ is somehow threatened is absurd.

Television and radio already operates within a sensible legal framework. Journalists should no longer be forced to break decent codes of behaviour.

At present only the wealthy can get redress from the national press. Ordinary people must be protected too.

I’ve had my share of plaudits and criticism from the local media but the Oxford Mail and the rest have always been fair and sought out the honesty of any story.

I wish the same could be said of some national newspapers. They will dive into the gutter to get a story and care little about searching for the truth.

We want a free press that will investigate the rich and powerful, educate and entertain. That can only be guaranteed if the publishing barons, in print and online, can be hit where it hurts most – in their pockets.

There must be a legal penalty for publishers who do not participate in the independent media commission.

JOHN TANNER (Labour Cllr), Board Member for a Cleaner, Greener Oxford, City Councillor for Littlemore & County Councillor for Isis