Vexed Bermoothes

Dr Brown has announced in Parliament this morning that he will “hold” his proposed Media Council Bill 2010 while the media proposes their own self-regulatory option.  The draft law remains on the Order Paper (meaning that it can be voted on at any time), but the Premier says he will drop it if and when he “is satisfied that the media generated plan meets the objective”.

That’s a positive move and, now that the ball is rolling, it is clearly in the media’s court.  A Media Council would be a good step forward for Bermuda, but it must not impose on freedom of the press.  A self-regulatory option based on proven practices elsewhere is the best solution.

Now that we’ve addressed the accountability of the media, perhaps we can also draw some more attention to the accountability of our politicians!

Mr. Speaker,

I rise today to acknowledge that the Government has received and intend to review the proposal by Bermuda’s combined media to form a Media Council. The Government believes that due to the lack of recourse available to members of the public who have been misrepresented in the media, the lack of a uniform and enforced code of standards, ethics and conduct and the continuing deterioration of media objectivity, the formation of a Media Council is necessary to bring journalistic standards and Bermuda into the 21st Century. The Media Council as proposed by this Government achieves that goal and as International Media Organizations have determined does not even come close to threatening the freedom of the press.

Mr. Speaker.

This Government has given Bermuda’s combined media two years to form their own self regulated Media Council with a uniform and enforced Code of Conduct. We were told they were too busy! The tabling of the Media Council Bill 2010 has apparently given them the opportunity to make journalistic standards a priority and we appreciate their response. We are pleased to see that leadership has emerged within Bermuda’s media outlets and would like to take special note of the leadership and actions of Mr. Tony McWilliams of the Bermuda Sun and Mr. Senator Thaao Dill of Interisland Communications in helping to begin this process.

Mr. Speaker.

The Government has decided to review the proposal as presented by Bermuda’s combined media. During this review period the Media Council Bill 2010 will remain on the Order Paper of the House of Assembly. When the Government is satisfied that the media generated plan meets the objective, the Government will remove the Bill from the Order Paper.

Mr. Speaker.

While there has been a considerable amount of fear mongering surrounding the issue of the Media Council, this Government has no interest in restricting freedom of the press or freedom of speech in Bermuda. The Media Council we propose would not prevent the media from pursuing the truth and revealing the truth wherever they find it. This Government does however envision a day when fair, objective and accountable journalism is the norm rather than the exception. We welcome the media’s proposal and believe that this is the first step towards that goal.

Thank you Mr. Speaker.