The Media Council of Bermuda officially becomes active tomorrow, a statement released this afternon said.The move ushers in a new era of heightened responsibility and accountability for the media while protecting freedom of expression from government oversight.For the first time, media outlets in Bermuda have come together to formally recognise that our freedom to report and comment is a gift from the public that carries considerable responsibilities.The Council's role is to serve the public by providing a free remedy for those instances in which a complaint against the media might not be legally actionable, but raises important issues of professional practice.The complaints procedure is straightforward, swift and less daunting than the expensive court route. A new website — www.mediacouncilofbermuda.org — goes live tomorrow and provides a full explanation of the process.As previously reported, the Council will be chaired by lawyer Christian Luthi. He is joined on an eight-person panel by C Wendell Emery (deputy chairman), Tom Vesey, Charles H Webbe, Qian Dickinson, Kelly Francis, Rebecca Davies and Amanda Outerbridge. They were chosen by a three-member Appointments Committee after public appeals for volunteers.Twenty local media outlets have signed-up in support of the Media Council initiative and agreed to adopt a common Code of Practice. All complaints must identify specifically where the Code has allegedly been breached.On the eve of the official launch, chairman Mr Luthi said: “It is hoped that through the adoption of the Code of Practice the media has set a standard for itself that will continue to improve the quality of journalism in Bermuda and provide an objective mechanism for the resolution of disputes.“The Code has as its core principles, protecting both the rights of the individual and the public's right to know. It seeks to strike the balance between the freedom of the press and the private rights of the individual.”Originally the Council had promised a mid-September 2010 launch but the extensive preparatory work was more time-consuming than anticipated. Though the Council's members were appointed in October, there were still structural and administrative work to complete and the Christmas period added to the delay.As previously stated, the Media Council will not hear retroactive complaints, only those relating to stories that appear from the launch date (February 2) onwards. The Council starts with a clean slate and will deal with the present and future, rather than what happened in the past.The 20 media outlets that have signed-up in support of the Media Council of Bermuda and agreed to adopt a common Code of Practice are: Bermuda.com; Bermudabiographies.com; Bermuda Broadcasting Company; Bermuda Media; The Bermudian Publishing Company; Bermuda Sports Network; Bermuda Sun; Bermuda Wired; Bermynet; Bernews; Black ‘n' Coke; Breezeblog; DeFontes Broadcasting Company; Inter-Island Communications; Islandstats.com; LookTV; LTT Broadcasting Company; The Royal Gazette; VATV; The Worker's Voice.Summing up the Council's role, chairman Mr Luthi said: “While the public has a right to see that matters in the public interest are brought to their attention by a free press, just as importantly the public has a right to see that proper standards of reporting are adhered to. The Council looks forward to the challenges ahead.”For more information go to www.mediacouncilofbermuda.org (the site goes live tomorrow).A reasonable approach from both parties can often bring swift resolution without having to involve the Media Council. If a complaint cannot be resolved in this way, contact the Council's Executive Officer, Meredith Ebbin: mediacouncil@bermuda.com, tel: 236-7043 (weekdays, during office hours).