After doing nothing more than clearing my throat for the last 35 years when the subject of news councils has come up, I’m finally taking a postion: I’m joining the founding board of the new Southern California News Council.

In the past, I had worried that a news council, which investigates complaints about fairness and accuracy of news organizations, might usurp our First Amendment rights.  But membership is voluntary for news organizations.  So is taking the advice of a news council.

More important, news councils draw readers into civilized conversation about the media rather than rants.  They also reach out to the public for education.  What’s the problem?

The evolution of the Southern California group also encourages me.  Two of the three existing councils, in Minnesota and Washington, chose groups from Southern California and New England as the winners of two $75,000 start-up grants.  Who better would know what works and what doesn’t?  The Knight Foundation provided the money.  (Hawaii is the only other state with a news council.)

The California group is based at California State University, Long Beach.  Bill Babcock, chair of the Long Beach Department of Journalism, is the executive director.  As Bill said in an early press release:

“In recent decades Americans have found their news media to have less and less credibility.  News councils are one media accountability tool that addresses this credibility concern.  After all, what do journalists have to lose - their high rating in public-opinion polls?”