One of the first tasks of any future Press council should be to take a hard look at "a Bermuda government which admits that it denies the public its right to know'', according to former Royal Gazette Editor David L. White.

Earlier this summer Telecommunications Minister Renee Webb put forward the suggestion of a Press council as a forum in which complaints -- both from and about the Press -- could be aired. Opposition MPs described the idea as "half-baked''.

But in a letter in today's Royal Gazette Mr. White, who retired as editor of the paper last December, made a stinging attack on Government proposals to set up a Press watchdog.

And he said that politicians were misinformed if they believed that such a body would force newspapers to treat politicians in a favourable way.

While Mr. White seemed to support the general principle of a council, he questioned whether such a body was necessary in Bermuda because of a lack of a sensationalist, prying Press.

And he dismissed the idea that the editors from the Island's four publications should sit on the nine seat council, arguing that "editors should not judge themselves''. But last night Ms Webb defended her proposal, saying that she had already had initial consultations with the Island's editors without receiving any negative feedback.

And she defended the Government's record of going on the record -- adding that, although Government firmly believed in keeping the public informed, that did not mean that every single newspaper had to be informed. The PLP has come under increasing attack from the opposition benches who claim the public is being kept in the dark on key issues such as the White Paper.

And just last week Premier Jennifer Smith issued a "no comment'' when quizzed about comments made by Senate leader Milton Scott. Ms Webb explained: "Sometimes when there's no comment it's because there's nothing to comment on.

"The public's right to access of information can come in many different forms -- it doesn't have to come just from the daily. The whole principle is one that we adhere to which is why we're looking at various different ways of getting information out there such as on the Internet.

"There would also be lay people on the councils -- it doesn't stipulate that editors have to be on it. But I have met with the editors or talked to them and nobody is really adverse to the idea in principal.'' Ms Webb also stressed that the Government would have no involvement in the running of the council but saw its role as "a facilitator in forming it''.

"From what my research indicates it's not just for sensationalist newspapers,'' she said.

"There are many creditable newspapers which belong to Press councils. I don't think the press here invades people's privacy but the aim is to give people a voice and the press also has a voice.'' Ms Webb was unable to set a date for when a Press council would be formed but did confirm that the matter was now being looked at.