Every national newspaper editor has backed the Press Gazette Save Our Sources campaign and signed a joint letter of protest to Prime Minister David Cameron over police spying on journalists' phone records.

Around 100 editors have signed a letter co-ordinated by Press Gazette and the Society of Editors to warn that the draft code of practice on use of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act puts journalists' sources at risk.

Politicians promised new controls in the code, but instead the new draft guidance states that police can continue to secretly view journalists' phone records provided they give “special consideration” to the “proportionality” of doing so.

The joint letter (full text below), submitted as part of the RIPA code consulation, states that the draft code “provides wholly inadequate protection for journalists’ sources”.

And it warns that there is nothing in the new code to stop police again targeting the phone records of journalists in order to uncover lawful sources, as they did with The Sun.

The draft code appears to encourage police to access journalists' phone records by stating that they are not “privileged information".

The letter states: “The mere fact a public official has contacted a newspaper is highly privileged information.

"That an individual has contacted a lawyer or doctor tells us little. But the fact they have contacted a journalist identifies them as a source and exposes them to recrimination.

"It is in everyone’s interest that the state recognises the over-arching importance of protecting the confidentiality of journalists’ sources.

"Public sector whistleblowers will not come forward to journalists in future if law enforcement agencies have the power to view journalists’ phone records at will.”

The letter states that police requests for journalists' phone records should need the approval of a judge.

As well as every national newspaper, the protest letter has been signed editors representing most regional newspaper groups, news agencies and broadcasters. Head of Sky News John Riley, Mail Online publisher Martin Clarke, Private Eye editor Ian Hislop and director of BBC World Service Fran Unsworth are among the signatories.

Society of Editors executive director Bob Satchell said: “Politicians say that terrorism laws should be used where relevant and proportionate. The police have used RIPA when it was neither. Journalism is not terrorism nor criminal.

“A powerful group of senior national, regional and local editors and broadcasters who frequently have different opinions are united in their concerns about RIPA.

“This is not about terrorism it is about the police using a law for purposes Parliament never intended.

“Ministers should take note.”

Press Gazette editor Dominic Ponsford said: “It is unprecedented in my experience for every national newspaper editor to agree on anything. So it is highly significant that here they have said with once voice that RIPA needs tougher controls to protect journalists' sources.

“Giving police the ability to secretly view the phone records of law-abiding journalists is not compatible with an open democratic society.”

A further 1,649 individuals, mostly journalists, have signed the Press Gazette Save Our Sources petition which is also to be submitted today as part of the RIPA consultation.

The consultation on the Acquisition and Disclosure of Communications Data Code of Practice closes tomorrow (20 January).

The signatories:

Stig Abell, Managing Editor, The Sun

Perry Austin-Clarke, Group Editor, Newsquest Yorkshire

Lionel Barber, Editor, Financial Times

Sam Barcroft, Owner, Barcroft Media

Neil Benson, Editorial Director Regionals, Trinity Mirror

Bob Bounds, Editor, Medway Messenger

David Bourn, Editorial Director, Scottish Provincial Press

Martin Breen, Editor, Sunday Life

Christine Buckley, Editor, The Journalist

Simon Bucks, Associate Editor, Sky News

Tony Carlin, Editor, Evening Times

Ian Carter, Editorial Director, the KM Group

Denis Cassidy, President, National Association of Press Agencies

Martin Clarke, Publisher, Mail Online

Pete Clifton, Editor-in-Chief, Press Association

Paul Connolly, Readers Editor, Belfast Telegraph

Nick Constable, Director, West Coast News

Jason Cowley, Editor, New Statesman

Allan Crow, Editor, Fife Free Press

Paul Dacre, Editor, Daily Mail and Associated Group Editor in Chief

Bart Dickson, Editor, Pressteam Scotland

David Dinsmore, Editor, The Sun

Ted Ditchburn, Managing Director, North News and Pictures

Noel Doran, Editor, The Irish News

Oliver Duff, Editor, The i Paper

Denise Eaton, Editor, Kent Messenger

Chris Elliott, Readers Editor, The Guardian

Lloyd Embley, Editor-in-Chief, Trinity Mirror

Robin Esser, Executive Managing Editor, Daily Mail

Chris Evans, Director of Content and Editor, The Daily Telegraph

Kate Farrington, Director, West Coast News

Lynne Fernquest, Editor, Bath News & Media

Charles Garside, Assistant Editor, Daily Mail

Liz Gerard, Editor, SubScribe

Mike Gilson, Editor, Belfast Telegraph

Sarah Goldthorpe, Editor, Soldier magazine

Alison Gow, Digital Innovations Editor, Trinity Mirror Regionals

Toby Granville, Group Editor, Daily Echo & Dorset Echo

Geordie Greig, Editor, The Mail On Sunday

Jonathan Grun, Emeritus Editor, Press Association

David Helliwell, Editor, News & Star/The Cumberland News

Ian Hislop, Editor, Private Eye

Neil Hodgkinson, Editor, Hull Daily Mail

David Holdsworth, Controller, BBC English Regions

Michael Jermey, Director of News and Current Affairs, ITV

Peter John, Group Editor, Newsquest Worcester/Stourbridge

Rachael Jolley, Editor, Index on Censorship

Mark Jones, Editor, Gazette Newspapers

David Jordan, Director of Editorial Policy and Standards, BBC

Gary Lawrence, Group Editor, Swindon Advertiser

Mark Leech, Offside Sports Photography

Michael Leidig, Editor, Central European News

Luke Lewis, Editor, Buzzfeed UK

Lisa Markwell, Editor, Independent on Sunday

Leigh Marles, Editor, Wirral Globe

Donald Martin, Editor-in-Chief, DC Thomson Newspapers

John Mulholland, Editor, The Observer

Ian Murray, Editor-in-Chief, Southern Daily Echo

Dawn Neesom, Editor, Daily Star

Victoria Newton, Editor, The Sun on Sunday

Rachel Oldroyd, Managing Editor, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism

Barrie Phillips-Jones, Editorial Director, NWN Media

Dominic Ponsford, Editor, Press Gazette

Amol Rajan, Editor, The Independent

Alan Rusbridger, Editor-in-Chief, Guardian News & Media

John Ryley, Head of Sky News

Gerry Sammon, Editor, Rochdale Observer, Middleton Guardian, Heywood Advertiser

Sarah Sands, Editor, Evening Standard

Mike Sassi, Editor, Nottingham Post

Bob Satchwell, Executive Director, Society of Editors

Jason Seiken, Editor-in-Chief, Telegraph Media Group

Moira Sleight, Editor, Methodist Recorder

Chris Smith, UK Editor, Digiday

Shailesh Solanki, Editor, Eastern Eye

Paul Staines, Editor, Guido Fawkes’ Blog

Jon Steafel, Deputy Editor, Daily Mail

Ian Stewart, Editor, The Scotsman and Scotland on Sunday

Beverly Thomas, Managing Editor, Cambrian News Ltd

Darren Thwaites, Editor-in-Chief, Trinity Mirror North East

Martin Townsend, Editor, Sunday Express

Richard Trinder, Managing Editor, The Yorkshire Times

Catherine Turnbull, Editor, Haverhill Echo

Nick Turner, Head of digital content development, Cumbrian Newspapers

Fran Unsworth, Director, BBC World Service Group

Kevin Ward, Editor, South Wales Argus

John Wellington, Managing Editor, Mail on Sunday

Neil White, Editor in Chief, Local World Derbyshire & East Staffordshire

Hugh Whittow, Editor, Daily Express

Doug Wills, Managing Editor, Evening Standard and Independent titles

Giles Winn, Editor, The Murnaghan Programme, Sky News

Richard Wintle, Editor, Calyx News Agency

John Witherow, Editor, The Times

Peter Wright, Editor Emeritus, Associated Newspapers

Ted Young, Editor, Metro

The letter in full: