Premier Ewart Brown yesterday revealed that a draft bill has been drawn up to create a media council that will oversee a code of practice and complaints procedure for print and broadcast operations.

The move was first announced in the 2008 Throne Speech and although no timeline has been set out it is expected that the new council will be up and running within six months of the bill being passed.

Government will then review the operation of the council a year after it has been established "to ensure that the intended objectives have been met".

Announcing the council yesterday, Dr. Brown said: "It is no secret that from time to time the Government of Bermuda and the media have had differences and at times these differences have been played out in the public stage.

"However this Government recognises that keeping the public informed is a vital and integral part of any democracy and as such, it is the media's responsibility to carry out their duties with due diligence and without interference."

According to the draft bill, the council will be made up of 12 members a chairman appointed by the Governor, six members appointed by the Governor on the advice of the Premier and five members of the media. Dr. Brown yesterday said that he thought it would include seven members of the media.

It will also have an executive officer and "such other staff as it deems necessary" with costs being borne by the media, although Dr. Brown did not think the cost would be significant.

The draft bill also details areas covered by a code of practice as well as a complaints procedure which covers existing print and broadcast media as well as their websites. It does not appear to cover new web-only news outlets, although Dr. Brown said the intention was that they would be covered.

The Premier added that a media council would help to "revitalise" the media industry in Bermuda and that with a code of practice and a complaints mechanism, it would help to ensure "journalistic integrity, accuracy and accountability" when reporting stories.

"Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, the media council will offer a form of objective redress for the public, thereby restoring public confidence in the media," he said.

"The Government expects that the media council will not only fill a void in our society, but that it will be widely used. The draft bill is being shared with the media to ensure their continued support of this initiative.

"The media council will raise the bar on reporting in Bermuda. Strong reporting and an accurate, fair and balanced media are vital to national growth and democratic success."