Membership in press councils should be compulsory: Moon

Richard Moon's suggestion of a compulsory national press council to weigh complaints about journalism that offends certain groups is both too little and too much. He is right that in the absence of effective provincial or regional press-ethics bodies, a national forum might be preferable to the dubious (and possibly unconstitutional) meddling of provincial human rights bodies with freedom of expression. But the ethical sins of the press (and broadcast media) requiring adjudication are broader and deeper than the professor suggests. In that sense, his idea is too little. Much more is needed than a body that would consider the occasional rant by a few attention-seeking absolutists in the craft who believe they have the right to say whatever they want without even allowing critics a fair chance to rebut or make a substantive reply. In the 1970s, press councils were a newspaper industry response to low ethical standards and the resultant threat of government interference with a free press. Regrettably, the councils have failed in their mission as self-regulators. So it comes as no surprise that someone like Moon has surfaced with superficial and awkward alternative at the national level. Even in their lamentable, underfunded and moribund state, provincial press councils still have potential to lead important discussions about journalism, and promote higher standards in Canada. Alas, the system is broken. Worst of all, publishers and senior editors show little interest in fixing it.