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Journalism is often referred to as the first rough draft of history and, as a result, mistakes and errors can be made.

We strive to be as accurate as possible in our reporting, and try our best to approach our role in the community ethically.

Central to this is our membership of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) and its Editor’s Code of Practice – a list of 16 clauses outlining standards that we adhere to.

However, if things go wrong it is important for us that our readers can come to us openly to put things right – and for us to learn any lessons if mistakes have been made.

The vast majority of complaints are usually resolved quickly through our complaints process, but there are times when a difference of opinion arises.

IPSO is there for them as the independent regulator to investigate any potential code breaches and has the ability to impose sanctions and fines on publications not fulfilling their duties.

Chief executive Charlotte Dewar, engagement officer Elena Richards Coldicutt, head of complaints Emily Houlston-Jones, and head of communications John Davidson visited us at the Caerphilly Miners Centre on Thursday July 18 to find out more about us and what we do.

We had a really positive and productive discussion on the difficulties faced by journalists to ‘get it right’ and how to approach things when mistakes are made.

It was clear that IPSO is serious in its responsibilities as an avenue for the public to turn to when they feel publications have not met the standards outlined in the Editor’s Code of Practice.

What really impressed me is the development of training the body now offers reporters and editors to interpret the code. There is also a wealth of information available to readers to help improve media literacy and foster trust – especially important in an age of misinformation.

Charlotte Dewar, chief executive of IPSO, said: “It was a privilege to come to Caerphilly to meet the Observer team and hear about how they are delivering on their commitment to keeping high quality, original journalism in the heart of their local community.

“We are proud to play a part in this by supporting them in upholding the highest editorial standards and giving readers confidence that the Observer is holding itself accountable in the same way that it does others.”