Many countries have a voluntary media or press council, formed by the media profession itself. This is a regulatory body only in the sense that it may act as a complaints mechanism for members of the public who have a grievance about the way a newspaper or broadcaster has covered a particular issue. Clearly, a voluntary body of this sort cannot fulfil functions such as granting broadcasting licences.
The value of voluntary media councils is that they may be a way of dealing with problems - such as public complaints - without resort to litigation. An informal solution, such as the publication of an apology or retraction, replaces a lengthy and costly legal process. The media often also adopt this sort of mechanism as a way of pre-empting statutory regulation that may interfere with their own independence.
The role of a voluntary media council may be broader. It may, for example, undertake training of journalists or formulation of codes of conduct. These are also activities that may be useful for election coverage. There are clear advantages in a media professional body organizing training, while a voluntary code of conduct may be a useful and non-confrontational way of introducing the necessary professional standards to journalists who are inexperienced in election reporting. The media council's own complaints mechanism would then be able to address a matter if journalists fall short of the required standards.
