Lawyer Christian Luthi will head up the Media Council of Bermuda.

The eight-person council was announced yesterday although it is not yet known when it will be up and running.

In a joint statement members of the media said: "The Media Council has two main goals — to help resolve complaints against the media and to protect freedom of expression.

"There will be a short induction process and within the next few weeks a date will be set for the formal start of the council.

"It will not handle retroactive complaints and only stories printed, posted or broadcast after the start date will be heard."

Lawyer Venous Memari was the chairwoman of the three-person committee who selected the council members. "We had a lot of responses," she said yesterday. "Our main concern was based on trying to ensure the composition of the council would be as diverse as possible."

She added that she enjoyed the selection process and thought the council was a step in the right direction.

"This is something that is very important," she said. "The right to freedom of expression and responsible journalism go hand in hand.

"I think it is really important this was a media initiative rather than a Government initiative. It will be completely independent and its decisions will be credible and legitimate.

"The fact that it is independent of Government makes it legitimate."

The council will be comprised of: Mr. Luthi, a director in the litigation and insolvency department of law firm Conyers Dill & Pearman. His practice encompasses all aspects of civil and commercial litigation.

Deputy chairman Wendell Emery was the executive vice president of the Butterfield Bank's operations and information technology department until he retired in 2006.

He was also a member of the Public Service Commission from 1977 to 1995 and served on other government boards, including the Bermuda Hospitals Board.

Tom Vesey, who will represent the print media on the council, is a freelance writer whose column appears weekly in the Bermuda Sun. He has also worked for the Washington Post, The Royal Gazette and the Mid-Ocean News.

Charles Webbe will represent broadcasters on the council. He started his career at the Bermuda Recorder.

He then worked as a journalist in the UK before returning home to work at Mid-Ocean News and ZBM. He now works for VSB.

Qian Dickinson will represent online media. He is one of the owners of VATV, Bermuda's first social media network. Established in 2007, VATV has received two awards from the Bermuda Government's TECHWEEK initiative.

Kelly Francis is president and founder of human resource consulting firm Performance Solutions Ltd., a company she launched in 2000.

She is a past president of the Bermuda Human Resource Association and the Sunshine League, and a former member of the Board of Education and the Bermuda Red Cross.

Rebecca Davies is an account director at Aardvark Communications. She has more than 12 years' experience working in account management in advertising agencies in London.

Amanda Outerbridge is the executive director of the XL Foundation. She was formerly the assistant editor of The Royal Gazette, and editor of the Mid-Ocean News.

Yesterday the joint statement from members of the media said: "We had planned a mid-September launch but the extensive preparatory work has required an extraordinary level of commitment and collaboration from all those involved and despite some delays, we're enthused about progress."

The statement was sent by Government senator and radio host Thaao Dill, programme director of Inter-Island Communications; Chris Lodge, news director at DeFontes Broadcasting Company; Tony McWilliam, editor of the Bermuda Sun; Tracey Neale of Bermuda Broadcasting Company; and Bill Zuill, editor of The Royal Gazette.

It is the first time Bermuda will have an independent media council.

It was promoted after Premier Ewart Brown tabled legislation to form a Government appointed council.

Local journalists and global press freedom campaigners claimed it would be politically biased and could infringe freedom of expression and volunteered to form an independent council. As a result Dr. Brown decided to take the proposed legislation off the table before Members of Parliament voted on it.