Desmond himself knows there's a problem. Editors can appeal to them as long as they've appealed to Desmond first. Then there is, apparently, no provision for hearing 'ex-editors'. As bulwarks of editorial freedom go, this is marshmallow sludge. Nobody yet has got the over-arching point.
All newspapers belong to it, indeed help fund it.
The Press Complaints Commission, along with the code it operates, exists to re-assure everybody that what newspapers do is honest and decent as well as legal. They may not always succeed, but they try. Let's look at that code with the peremptory fate of former editor Pilgrim in mind. But look a little closer. It specifically covers 'all members of the press'.