The public consultation on the guidelines has been a very useful exercise. The purpose of the guidelines is to strike the right balance between the important public interest in a free press and the need to prosecute serious wrongdoing. That’s not an easy exercise, but I’m pleased that the overwhelming majority of responses supported the approach taken in the guidelines, in particular the requirement that prosecutors consider whether the public interest served by the journalistic conduct in question outweighs the overall criminality before bringing criminal proceedings. […] These guidelines will ensure a consistent approach by prosecutors while, at the same time, providing transparency as to the approach the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will take when considering these important and often finely balanced cases. […] During the consultation period I have held meetings with the Press Complaints Commission, Ofcom and the Information Commissioner’s Office in an attempt to build consensus around the guidelines. I’m pleased to report that Lord Hunt, Ed Richards and Christopher Graham all support the guidelines.