THE media spotlight was firmly on Southampton today as the industry's leaders and senior representatives gathered for the Society of Editor's conference 2014.

Scores of delegates travelled from across the UK for the annual gathering, which was being held in the city for the very first time.

Hosting the event is the Daily Echo's editor in chief Ian Murray, President of the organisation that represents the interests of print media.

This year's conference got underway last night at the Grand Harbour Hotel where delegates were welcomed to Southampton before hearing a speech from Sir Alan Moses - the man charged with overseeing a new independent regulatory body of the press.

Giving the Society Lecture, Sir Alan, chairman of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), told the audience that a free and unruly press remained paramount.

He said: “We do not want a boring defensive press; we want a free, fair and unruly press ruled only by an independent regulator IPSO who will support you and encourage you to remain so.

He said the new organisation, which officially came in to being last month, would come ''armed with a slim, clear book of rules and not with an iron fist'' when it tackles complaints.

And he said that newspapers are unlikely to face £1 million fines under the new system of press regulation but the watchdog will ''damn'' those that flagrantly break the rules.

Sir Alan, a former Court of Appeal judge who sent killer Ian Huntley to prison for the murders of Soham schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, told editors that IPSO would be measured on how it makes decisions rather than the outcome of them, which undoubtedly could not ever expect to please all parties.

But he warned: ''Mistakes and errors of judgment will always occur - but if you do so deliberately, flagrantly, without caring one jot whether you break the code or not, Ipso will damn you.''

The vast majority of newspapers have signed up to Ipso, which replaces the Press Complaints Commission (PCC), with The Guardian and Financial Times among notable absentees.

Campaign group Hacked Off, which has famous names such as Hugh Grant, John Cleese, Ian McEwan and Jo Brand among its public supporters, claims the organisation is a ''sham''.

But Sir Alan insisted that the body's strength and independence would not be demonstrated merely by “flexing muscles”.

He said: ''What a sign of weakness it is when the playground bully needs to show some pumped up bicep.

''When IPSO was launched we were all told how different the regulatory regime would be now that there was power to fine up to a million pounds or one per cent of annual turnover. And they said, 'there you are ... now you can show your mettle by fining someone a million pounds, that's what you need'.

''You only have to say that, to see how unlikely it is. Proper successful independent regulation will not be established by manic firing of a big bazooka.”

He added that IPSO would give a voice to those previously too fearful of standing up to the press, and systems would be put in place for financial redress for those who cannot afford to go to court. A trial to see how this could work is likely to be launched which doesn't include the regional press - who are naturally concerned because resources are fewer than in national organisations.

Sir Alan added: ''Our decisions will be, from time to time, unpopular. But we are not here to be popular. We are not here only to secure agreement but to manage disagreement.

“We need you to stimulate, to probe and to expose fairly and with authority and IPSO will help and encourage yo to do so.”