The Island’s media council will discuss the naming of sex offenders in the media at its next meeting.

“The issue of naming sex offenders in the media has many implications, and a balance has to be struck between the welfare and reasonable rights of individuals, and the public good,” said Tony McWilliam, the chairman of the Media Working Group of the Bermuda Media Council. “It’s a sensitive subject that the Media Working Group will discuss at a forthcoming meeting.”

It comes after Sheelagh Cooper, founder and chairwoman of the Coalition for the Protection of Children, called for the law to be amended so that victims of sexual offences, or their parents, have the option to decide whether a convicted offender is named publicly.

According to Ms Cooper, there is no provision in the law that gives victims of sexual offences the right to waive their anonymity, therefore allowing a convicted offender’s name to be revealed.

The law prohibits the media from revealing any information that would lead to the identification of a victim of a sexual offence.

A former police officer, who was this month jailed for the sexual exploitation of his daughter and incest, could not be named because a media organisation disclosed the exact nature of the charges and by naming him, the identity of the victim would have been revealed.

Ms Cooper also called on media organisations to liaise with each other about how the details of a trial are presented to the public.

The Bermuda Media Council launched in February 2011, and has two main goals — to resolve complaints against the media and to protect freedom of expression.

It also created a code of practice, which sets the benchmark for ethical standards, protecting both the rights of the individuals and the public’s right to know.