11125+ web files in a constantly updated Gazetteer on Bermuda's accommodation, activities, airlines, apartments, areas, art, artists, attractions, airport, aviation pioneers, banks, banking, beaches, Bermuda Status and citizenship, books and publications, British Army, businesses, calypso, Canadian military, causeway, churches, city of Hamilton, commerce, community, cruise ships, culture, cuisine, customs, Devonshire Parish, disability accessibility, districts, Dockyard, economy, education and universities abroad, employers, employment, entertainment, environment, executorships and estates, fauna, ferries, flora, food, forts, gardens, geography, getting around, golf, government, guest houses, history, Hamilton Parish, homes and housing, hotels, internet access, islands, laws and legal system, local groups and organizations, location, media, motor vehicle options, music, municipalities, Paget Parish, parishes, parks, Pembroke Parish, politics, postage stamps, public holidays, public transport, railway trail, religions, Royal Navy, Sandy's Parish, St. David's, St. George's Parish, shopping, Smith's Parish, Somerset, Southampton Parish, Spanish Point, Spittal Pond, sports, stores, telecommunications, traditions, time zone, town of St. George, United States armed forces, tourism, vacation planning, villages, vital statistics, water sports, weather, Warwick Parish, wildlife, work permits, etc. For tourists, business visitors, employers, employees, newcomers, researchers, retirees, scholars.

Bermuda News Media

Newspapers, magazines, cable, radio, television

By Keith Archibald Forbes (see About Us) at e-mail exclusively for Bermuda Online

To refer by e-mail to this file use "bermuda-online.org/media" as your Subject

Media below wishing to have their websites and email addresses shown below are welcome to contact the author, if they act in accordance with our Reciprocal Links policy.

Media Council of Bermuda

On October 14, 2010 it was announced that lawyer Christian Luthi will head up the Media Council of Bermuda. Members of the eight-person council were named. The Media Council has two main goals — to help resolve complaints against the media and to protect freedom of expression. There will be a short induction process and within the next few weeks a date will be set for the formal inception of the council. It will not handle retroactive complaints and only stories printed, posted or broadcast after the start date will be heard. The council will also include deputy chairman Wendell Emery, Tom Vesey, Charles Webbe, Qian Dickinson, Kelly Francis, Rebecca Davies and Amanda Outerbridge. The council was chosen by an independent selection committee. It is the first time Bermuda will have an independent media council. It was promoted after Premier Ewart Brown tabled legislation to form a Government appointed council. Local journalists and global press freedom campaigners claimed it would be politically biased and could infringe freedom of expression and volunteered to form an independent council. As a result Dr. Brown decided to take the proposed legislation off the table before Members of Parliament voted on it.

Before then, no real freedom of the press, unlike in the democracies.

Unlike Canada, USA, etc where freedom of the press is built to their constitutions or elsewhere into their constitutional rights, Bermuda has no such guaranteed press freedoms. The International Press Institute (IPI) has warned the Government that its "deeply flawed" planned Media Council Act 2010 bill could damage Bermuda's reputation around the world. The global network of editors, media executives and journalists, based in Vienna, issued a statement in May 2010 arguing that the proposed council would be inherently biased, would infringe press freedom and could prevent the free flow of information. It urged the Government to withdraw the draft legislation and talk again to the Island's media industry about how it should be regulated. The warning follows opposition to the bill from other global press freedom organizations, including US-based Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and the CPU (Commonwealth Press Union) Media Trust. The IPI statement, sent all over the world from the organization's Austrian headquarters and posted on its website, said the Media Council Act 2010 could have a "detrimental impact" on the reputation of the Bermuda Government. The bill was tabled in Bermuda's House of Assembly on May 7, 2010 by Premier Ewart Brown and could be debated and approved by MPs very soon. The council would establish a code of practice for the media and a complaints procedure to deal with breaches of the code.

The IPI is concerned that six members of the council would be appointed by the Governor on the recommendation of the Premier, with just five further media representatives. "The bill would appear to have a bias that jeopardizes not only the council's decision-making process but also any future code of practice for the media," according to the statement. "Most worryingly, section 15 (3) (d) contains a powerful prior restraint clause enabling the council to prevent the publication and broadcasting of 'any news, or comment on the news, that is the subject of the complaint. Due to the bias inherent within the council, this power could be abused to prevent the free flow of information within Bermuda and might be used by complainants to prevent investigative journalism."

The IPI, which works to safeguard press freedom, said the "controversial" media bill appeared to have "more in common with the media legislation of some of the repressive governments in Latin America, than with the First Amendment tradition of one of its close trading partners, the United States." It added: "Having examined the draft bill, the International Press Institute, the global network for a free media, believes it to be deeply flawed."

IPI director David Dadge said: "It is very unfortunate that Bermuda, with its geographical closeness to the United States and its cultural and political ties to the United Kingdom, has managed to draft a law that would be wholly unacceptable in both countries. Media councils should be freely chosen by the local media and they should be independent and self-regulating. They should not be enacted by law and contain an inbuilt bias to the state and create powers that, if applied, would deeply inhibit the media's ability to act in the public interest." Mr. Dadge encouraged Government "to withhold this bill from Parliament and to go back to holding a dialogue with the local media". Premier Ewart Brown's spokesman did not respond to a request for comment on the IPI statement.

Read the full statement at www.freemedia.at.

You can download and read the complete Media Council Act. by clicking here.

The idea of a media council in Bermuda is something some local politicians who are opposed to true democracy and fundamental press freedoms have been advocating for almost two decades. It seems they have not been aware, or have omitted to mention, that voluntary press codes - not legislation made by and on behalf of their governments - apply in all the world's democracies. Unlike them, Bermuda does not have a "gutter" or "yellow" press so has seen no need yet to have a voluntary press code.

See this dateline:

February 3, 1993: Progressive Labour Party MP Julian Hall calls for a press council to be formed to ensure journalistic responsibility, during a speech in the House of Assembly.

June 25, 1993: United Bermuda Party Cabinet Minister Ann Cartwright DeCouto tells the House of Assembly during a debate on the Broadcasting Commissioners Amendment Act that she favours a press council to handle complaints about unfair treatment by newspapers. National Liberal Party leader Gilbert Darrell asks why television and radio are singled out for regulation, when the press is "getting away with murder."

July 21, 1993: PLP leader Frederick Wade urges the creation of an "independent and non-partisan press council". He claims "most unpardonable attacks" are being aimed at MPs and public office candidates.

February 24, 1999: UBP Senator Maxwell Burgess suggests that a media council "which spoke to some sense of fair reporting" could be set up. PLP Senator Calvin Smith disagrees, arguing that freedom of the press is part of the democratic process. "The last thing we would look to see is increased control," says Sen. Smith. Independent senator Walwyn Hughes states: "We might have our disagreements and views on the media. But the last thing we need is to have our troubles and concerns addressed by the Government."

August 1999: PLP Telecommunications Minister Renee Webb floats the idea of a press council to investigate alleged abuses. UBP MPs pour scorn on the idea because it wouldn't cover TV and radio but would have representatives from "fringe" publications such as Bermuda Industrial Union's Workers' Voice.

July 2003: Ms Webb reiterates her call for a press council. She says that in 1999 she "met with the various editors of the newspapers and they all agreed it was a good idea but I don't think they really wanted it. If they were serious they would have done it."

February 1, 2008: Government announces plans for a media council in its Throne Speech and promises to begin consultation with the media later in the year. Premier Ewart Brown asserts that the "atmosphere in the recent [general] election probably made people think about it more.".

The February 2008 edition of the PLP newsletter The Party Line states: "As the demand for transparency and fairness is apparently increasing, one would hope that the daily, which a large portion of a specific section of the community considers unfair, will advocate with similar vigor for a press council." (Opposition leader Kim Swan says that if the press needs a code of conduct, there should be one for legislators too.)

March 2008: Sixty-four percent of people responding to a poll commissioned by The Royal Gazette support the introduction of a press council to regulate newspapers.

July 9, 2008: The Premier says his plans for a media council are behind schedule but promises: "Our recommended press council model will be available for stakeholder consultation soon."

December 12, 2008: A letter from the media to Dr. Brown states: "We do not believe that a legislated media council along the lines proposed in the [Cabinet] paper before you is appropriate or necessary." The letter suggests a "self-regulating body without the interference, perceived or otherwise, of the Government, which legislation would inevitably suggest". It is signed by: Bill Craig, then CEO of Bermuda Broadcasting Company; PLP senator and radio host Thaao Dill, programme director of Inter-Island Communications; Chris Lodge, news director at DeFontes Broadcasting Company; Tony McWilliam, editor of the Bermuda Sun; and Bill Zuill, editor of The Royal Gazette.

March 8, 2010: Dr. Brown tells the House of Assembly that legislation "developed to create an independent media council, which will promote fairness, accuracy, accountability and journalistic integrity in the content and presentation of media coverage, including news reports, comment, articles and pictures" will soon be tabled.

May 6, 2010: The Premier calls a press conference to tell the media that a bill has been drawn up to create a media council to oversee a code of practice and complaints procedure for print and broadcast operations.

May 7, 2010: The Media Council Act 2010 is tabled in the House of Assembly.

Bermuda's British Governor and the USA's Consul General are both silent. Yet both have complete freedom of the press in their respective countries, endorsed by the Queen and President Obama.

Media Code of Practice

Suggested in June 2010 by Bermuda's media shown below instead of a government-run entity.

Preamble

Members of the media have a duty to maintain the highest professional standards. The Code of Practice, which includes this preamble and the public interest exceptions in Section 1, sets the benchmark for ethical standards, protecting both the rights of the individual and the public's right to know. It is the cornerstone of the system of self-regulation to which the industry in Bermuda has made a binding commitment. Freedom of the press is indivisible from, and subject to, the same rights and duties as that of the individual and rests on the public's fundamental right to be informed and freely to receive and to disseminate opinions. The primary purpose of gathering and distributing news and opinion is to serve Bermuda by informing citizens and enabling them to make informed judgments on the issues of the time. The Code serves as a reference point for the public and also as an essential guide for journalists in Bermuda. It is vital that this Code be honored not only by the letter but also in spirit. It should not be interpreted so narrowly as to compromise its commitment to respect the rights of the individual, nor so broadly that it constitutes an unnecessary interference with freedom of expression or prevents publication in the public interest.

It is the responsibility of editors, publishers and managers to apply the Code to editorial material. They should ensure it is observed rigorously by all editorial staff and external contributors, including non-journalists.

Public enlightenment, as defined by the Society of Professional Journalists, is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. This is the guiding principle of this Code.

1. The Public Interest

There may be exceptions to the clauses below marked ** where they can be demonstrated to be in the public interest. The public interest includes, but is not confined to:

Detecting or exposing crime or serious impropriety.
Protecting public health and safety.
Preventing the public from being misled by an action or statement by an individual or organization.
Where there is a public interest in freedom of expression itself.
Whenever the public interest is invoked, the Bermuda Media Council shall require editors/news directors to demonstrate fully how the public interest was served.
The Bermuda Media Council will consider the extent to which material is already in the public domain, or will become so.
In cases involving children under the age of 16, editors/news directors must demonstrate an exceptional public interest to over-ride the normally paramount interest of the child.

2. Accuracy

The media shall take care not to publish inaccurate, misleading or distorted information, including photographs, video and voice recordings.
A significant inaccuracy, misleading statement or distortion once recognized shall be corrected, promptly and with due prominence, and where appropriate the media outlet should make amends by printing/broadcasting/posting, promptly and with appropriate prominence, a retraction, correction or explanation and/or an apology.
The media, whilst free to be partisan, shall distinguish clearly between comment, conjecture and fact. Facts are not always clear-cut and often open to interpretation but the media shall present factual information fairly and with due regard to context and importance. Where a report is not based on facts or is founded on opinions, allegation, rumor or supposition, it shall be presented in such manner as to indicate this clearly.
A media outlet is entitled to adopt a forthright stance and advocate a position on any issue.
A media outlet shall report fairly and accurately the outcome of an action for defamation to which it has been a party, unless an agreed settlement states otherwise, or an agreed statement is published.
Journalists should use corroboration to verify the accuracy of information from their sources.
Media outlets must clearly distinguish for the audience the difference between advertising, advertorial and news.

3. Opportunity to Reply

Journalists shall ensure that stories are fair and balanced and routinely seek the views of the subject of serious critical reportage in advance of publication. This need not be done where the media outlet has reasonable grounds for believing that by doing so it would be prevented from publishing the report or where evidence might be destroyed or witnesses intimidated.
A fair opportunity for reply to inaccuracies must be given when reasonably called for.

4. Privacy

Everyone is entitled to respect for his or her private and family life, home, health and correspondence, including digital communications. Editors/news directors shall be expected to justify intrusions into any individual's private life without consent.
People in public life are entitled to privacy.
Where a person holds public office, deals with public affairs, follows a public career, or has sought or obtained publicity for his/her activities, publication/broadcast of relevant details of his/her private life and circumstances may be justifiable where the information revealed relates to the validity of the person's conduct, the credibility of his/her public statements, the value of his/her publicly expressed views or is otherwise in the public interest.
It is unacceptable to photograph or film or record individuals in a private place without their consent. Note: private places are public or private property where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy.

5. Harassment

Journalists shall not engage in intimidation, harassment or persistent pursuit.
Journalists shall not persist in questioning, telephoning, emailing/texting, pursuing or photographing or filming individuals once asked to desist; nor remain on their property when asked to leave and must not follow them. Exceptions arise in relation to the movement of accused or convicted criminals (usually under escort and in public places), where the public interest is paramount.
Editors/news directors should ensure these principles are observed by those working for them and take care not to use non-compliant material from other sources.

6. Intrusion into grief or shock

In cases involving personal grief or shock, enquiries and approaches must be made with sympathy and discretion and the information garnered shall be handled sensitively. This does not restrict the right to report legal proceedings, such as inquests.
When reporting suicide, care shall be taken to avoid excessive detail about the method used.

7. Children

Young people should be free to complete their time at school without unnecessary intrusion.
Journalists/editors/news directors should have regard for the vulnerability of children and in all dealings with children should bear in mind the age of the child, whether parental or other adult consent has been obtained for such dealings, the sensitivity of the subject-matter, and what circumstances, if any, make the story one of public interest.
A child under 16 years of age shall not be interviewed or photographed or recorded, especially on issues involving their own or another child's welfare unless a custodial parent or similarly responsible adult consents.
Pupils shall not be approached or photographed at school without the permission of the school authorities.
Editors/news directors shall not use the fame, notoriety or position of a parent or guardian as sole justification for publishing/broadcasting details of a child's private life.

8. Hospitals

Journalists shall identify themselves and obtain permission from a responsible executive before entering non-public areas of hospitals or similar institutions to pursue enquiries, unless they have been invited to see a patient by the patient personally or by his/her immediate family or partner.
The restrictions on intruding into privacy are particularly relevant to enquiries about individuals in hospitals or similar institutions.

9. Reporting of Crime

Relatives or friends of persons convicted or accused of crime should not generally be identified without their consent, unless they are genuinely relevant to the story.
Particular regard should be paid to the potentially vulnerable position of children who witness, or are victims of, crime. This should not restrict the right to report legal proceedings.
Due care and responsibility shall be exercised by the media with regard to the presentation of brutality, violence and atrocities.

10. Clandestine devices and subterfuge

The media shall not seek to obtain material by intercepting private or cell phone calls, messages or emails or by accessing digitally held private information without consent.
Journalists should clearly identify themselves immediately in a conversation that might contain information used in reporting.
The use of hidden cameras and listening devices in public places and/or engaging in misrepresentation or subterfuge, including by agents or intermediaries, can generally be justified only in the public interest and then only when the material cannot be obtained by other means.

11. Discrimination

The media shall avoid prejudicial or pejorative reference to an individual's skin colour, race, nationality (including citizenship), ethnic or national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, illness or age.
Details of an individual's skin colour, race, nationality (including citizenship), ethnic or national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, illness or age shall be avoided unless genuinely relevant to the story.
Media reports shall not place gratuitous emphasis on, skin colour, race, nationality (including citizenship), ethnic or national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, illness or age. Journalists should also avoid stereotyping based on the above.
Nevertheless, where it is relevant and in the public interest, the media may report and express opinions in these areas.

12. Incitement to Hatred

The media has the right and the duty to report and comment on all matters of legitimate public interest. This right and duty shall, however, be balanced against the obligation not to publish/broadcast/post material that amounts to hate speech.
Editors/news directors shall take care in deciding how to report incidences of hate speech without widening the dissemination of its content.
Hate speech is defined for the purpose of this Code as hateful, threatening, abusive or insulting language intended or likely to cause grave offence or stir up hatred against an individual or group on the basis of skin colour, race, nationality (including citizenship), ethnic or national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, illness, or age.

13. Financial/business journalism

Even where the law does not prohibit it, journalists shall not use for their own profit financial information they receive in advance of its general dissemination, nor should they pass such information to others.
Journalists shall not write about shares or securities in whose performance they know that they or their close families have a significant financial interest without disclosing the interest to their editor/news director.
They shall not buy or sell, either directly or through nominees or agents, shares or securities about which they have written recently or about which they intend to write in the near future.
When a media outlet is reporting on a company to which it has substantial links (it might be a parent or sister company), the relationship shall be made clear in the story.

14. Confidential sources

Journalists have a moral obligation to protect confidential sources of information.
They also have a duty to take reasonable steps to satisfy themselves that such sources are well informed, have sound motives and that the information they provide is accurate.
Conditions attached to any promise made in exchange for information should be clarified, and promises kept.
Sources shall be identified whenever feasible and when anonymity is granted, an explanation shall be provided. The public is entitled to as much information as possible on source's reliability, short of compromising promised anonymity.

15. Witness payments in criminal trials and payment to criminals

The media shall not, under any circumstances, offer any payment for any story. (This does not preclude payments to freelance writers, photographers etc).

16. Headlines and captions

Headlines, sub-headings and captions, across all media, should accurately and fairly convey the substance or tone of the report or photo or footage to which they are related.

17. Photos & video footage

Editors/news directors shall not publish/broadcast/post photographs or footage or audio content which has been manipulated without informing readers/viewers of the fact and, where significant, of the nature and purpose of the manipulation.
Situations of grief and shock shall be handled with special consideration for the sensibilities of those affected.
Taking photographs, filming or recording individuals in private places without their consent is not acceptable, unless justified by the public interest.

18. Public feedback

Selection and treatment of letters, and the choice of and air time given to talk show guests, are the prerogative of editors/news directors who are to be guided by fairness, balance, and public interest in the contributors' views.

19. Conflict of Interest

Journalists should be free of obligation to any interest other than the public's right to know. Participation in political/community groups and the like should be declared to the editor/manager.
Readers are entitled to expect that content reflects the best judgment of editors/news directors, journalists, and has not been inappropriately influenced by undisclosed interests. Where relevant, any significant financial or political interest of a media outlet or journalist should be disclosed. Writers should disclose significant potential conflicts of interest to their editor/news director.

20. Editorial matters

The free expression of ideas and viewpoints is a fundamental and unassailable function of the media.
Opinion columns and editorials carry the same commitment to factual accuracy (see Section 2) as reportage.

21. Plagiarism, copyright & embargoes

Media outlets shall not use words, images or footage generated by fellow media professionals without full attribution and/or prior consent.
Copyright on articles/photographs/footage shall be respected. Inadvertent breaches of copyright should be looked upon more sympathetically than deliberate or careless breaches.
Embargoes on information shall be adhered to.

22. User-generated online content

This Code primarily covers editorial material, ie. that which could reasonably be expected to be under the control of the editor/news director.
Editors/news directors must ensure that all submitted words/photographs/footage complies with this Code. If content is modified, it should be clearly indicated.
Media outlets should identify an easy way in which people can raise concerns about user-generated content.

23. Social Networking Sites

Material from social networking sites, published without consent, can raise privacy issues.
As soon as an editor/news director makes a decision to publish/broadcast/post material from a social networking site, he/she is assuming responsibility for its content and the manner in which it was obtained.
Journalists/editors/news directors must consider prior to publication/broadcast/posting how private the material is; how accessible it is to third parties (including whether the person concerned had restricted public access to the information); and whether or not the subject matter concerns a child.

24. Miscellaneous

Journalists should examine their own cultural values and beliefs and, in reporting the news, avoid imposing those values on others. Exceptions arise when writing opinion-based commentary and/or if the media outlet targets a specific market.
Journalists should be especially sensitive when dealing with inexperienced sources/interviewees eg. if a child or elderly person is encountering the media for the first time, the journalist, if asked, should be willing to outline what information he/she intends to make public.

25. Note

This Code of Practice is a living document and will be subject to change once it has been put into practice and its effectiveness evaluated. It will thereafter be revised annually, as circumstances demand. Changes can only be made with the collective authorization of its five original co-signatories or their successors.

Daily free and independent newspaper The Royal Gazette

Bermuda's best value for money by far, costs Bda$ 1.00, less than many UK newspapers with far less content, plus has a full-content electronic Edition. Internationally praised and respected. Founded in 1828, Bermuda's only daily newspaper, publishing every day except Sunday and public holidays. With daily circulation of more than 16,000 copies, the newspaper reaches more than 90 percent of the adult market. It aims to cover the whole community fairly and accurately ands to act as an independent voice. It is not affiliated with any political party. Each day, it produces the following sections: Local news, Overseas news, Sport, Business, Lifestyle and Opinion. In addition, the newspaper produces weekly sections on Body and Soul (Tuesday), Personal Technology and Shipping (Wednesday) Youth (Thursday), Personal Finance, Religion and Weekender (Saturday). It also publishes two magazines: RG Magazine, a general interest colour supplement, and Bottom Line, a business magazine. These award-winning magazines come out in alternative months through the year. It started publishing an Internet edition in 1997 and upgrades its website regularly. It is owned by The Bermuda Press (Holdings) Ltd., which in addition to owning the Island's leading media group, also owns Bermuda Press Ltd., the leading commercial printer in Bermuda, office supplies companies and real estate.

Located at 2 Par-la-Ville Road, Hamilton HM-02, Bermuda. Mailing address: PO Box HM1025, Hamilton HMDX, Bermuda. Phone: 441-295-5881. Royal Gazette Editorial Fax: 441-292-2498
Emails:
Letters to the Editor: letters@royalgazette.bm
Local news: news@royalgazette.bm
News Desk: rgnewsdesk@royalgazette.bm
Business: business@royalgazette.bm
Sport: sport@royalgazette.bm
Lifestyle/Calendar: lifestyle@royalgazette.bm
For more information about contacting different Royal Gazette departments or individual members of staff, see Contact Us.

On January 21, 2008 The Royal Gazette launched a campaign to throw open the doors of Government and publicly-funded groups to give the people of Bermuda access to information that shapes their lives. A Right to Know: Giving People Power is all about helping the people of Bermuda find out what Government and other publicly funded bodies are doing on behalf of citizens, residents and taxpayers and how they are spending tax dollars. There have been pledges of support from around the Island and the world, with former Progressive Labour Party Premier Alex Scott one of the first on board. He said: "This is not an anti-government exercise. It's a pro-democracy vehicle for the public that we serve." A Right to Know calls for Premier Dr. Ewart Brown and his Government to return plans first introduced in 2003 by Mr. Scott for public access to information (PATI) to the top of the PLP's agenda. This newspaper asked to see a commitment in the 2008 Throne Speech delivered on February 1 to table a PATI bill in the House of Assembly this year. It also urged Government, on behalf of all consumers, to agree to open up to the public all quangos, boards and other publicly-funded bodies, including the Corporation of Hamilton, which has a $20 million annual budget. There are more than 100 such entities in Bermuda spending millions of dollars of taxpayers' money and all hold their meetings behind closed doors, with a only a couple releasing minutes to the public. The Royal Gazette believes that anyone should be allowed to attend these meetings if they wish and that minutes detailing what happens during them and the decisions taken which affect the people of Bermuda should be made publicly available. The final aim of A Right to Know is to persuade Government and other bodies that are paid for by the taxpayer to answer questions about their activities unless they have sound and irrefutable reasons not to, such as for national security purposes. Mr. Scott said Bermuda was ready for a public access to or freedom of information (FOI) law and a more open government, as the more than 70 countries around the world, including Cayman, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, the UK, Canada, the US and Ireland have done. Other community members supporting transparency include Anglican Bishop Ewan Ratteray, Bermuda National Trust director Jennifer Gray, teachers' union leader Mike Charles, former Opposition UBP leader Grant Gibbons, columnist and journalist Tom Vesey, lawyer Tim Marshall, environmentalist Stuart Hayward, businessmen Stephen Davidson and Nalton Brangman and US Consul Gregory Slayton. Mr. Slayton said the US's FOI laws had made a big difference in various obvious ways and he was all in favor of that for all in Bermuda, to make Government accountable and responsible to citizens and taxpayers. The National Freedom of Information Coalition (NFOIC) in the US is behind the initiative, as is the Carter Center, the human rights organisation founded by former American President Jimmy Carter which helped Jamaica implement its PATI law. Charles Davis, from NFOIC, said he had witnessed other small countries successfully bring in FOI. He said: "You have got a great case for reform here. In a small country a lot can happen with nobody knowing about it. The default is almost to be secretive. I think this is an excellent case for a new FOI law."

Because they are fully independent of the Bermuda Government, Royal Gazette reporters are regularly verbally attacked and belittled by politicians at press conferences and public events. It is the only developed country in the free world where this kind of constant government hostility towards the free press goes unchallenged; not good for Bermuda's image as a tourism resort and business center. Even in the United Kingdom, where the leading independent newspapers regularly police and often challenge the government, Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his Cabinet, always conscious of the freedom of the press as a unique democratic right, have never ended government's advertising or stopped subscription deals with any newspaper. In complete contrast, the Cabinet of the Bermuda Government decided in March 2008 to end the Government's advertising and subscription deals with this newspaper, claiming it was a cost-saving measure. A press release at the time said: "The Cabinet determined it was not cost-effective or penetrative enough to rely heavily on print advertising in an electronically advanced community." However, despite repeated requests the methodology used has never been revealed. However it continues to place adverts with other, far less frequent print media and to select one of them, only a twice a week publication, as its Official Gazette, despite its much higher-to-government bidding cost.

Other newspapers

Bermuda Official Gazette. Newspaper in which Bermuda Government news, events, official announcements, appointments, etc. are listed. From January 2013 The Royal Gazette daily (Monday through Saturday) newspaper is also the Official Gazette.
Bermuda Sun. Twice weekly, Wednesday, Friday or day earlier if a public holiday.
Worker's Voice. Every other Friday. From the Bermuda Industrial Union at telephone 292-0044.

History of Newspapers in order of date of first publication

Newspaper	First Editor	Dates operated
Bermuda Gazette	J. Stockdale	1784-1831+
Royal Gazette (Weekly Gazette)	Edmund Ward	1810-1816
The Gleaner	Edmund Ward	1812-1813
Ladies Library	C. R. Beach	1817-1818
The Bermudian	Alex Holmes	1819-1823
The Royal Gazette	D. R. & D. M. Lee	1828-present
The Bermudian	Benjamin Jenkins	1834-1878
Bermuda Herald	William Martin	1844-1857
The Record	Fisher & Dover	1849-1850
Advertiser	Samuel Nelmes, Jr	1851-1854
Bermuda Mirror	George A. Lee	1861-1872?
Bermuda Advocate	W. J. S. Scobell	1863-1864?
Bermuda Chronicle	W. J. S. Scobell. Another editor, briefly, was the English artist Edward K. James	1865-1871
Colonist & Daily News	Charles Brady	1866-1920
Bermuda Times & Advocate	Sam Parker, Jr. & Sons	1871-1883
Spirit of the Times	George E. Lee	1872?
New Era or Home Journal	A. L. Spedon	1881-1884+
Home & People's Journal	John J. Parker	1882-1883
Bermuda Times or People's Journal	John J. Parker & Sam Parker, Jr	1883-1890?
The People's Journal	John J. Parker	1884-1902?
Bermuda Advertiser	J. D and F. R. Bell	1894-1900?
Mid Ocean	W. L. Toddings & W. K. Morrison	1899-1900, then see Bermuda Mid Ocean News below
Bermuda Recorder	J. Bushell	1899-1900
New Era (Rev. Monk bought out Mr Spedon's version of 1881-1884).	Rev. Charles V. Monk	1901-1905
Knight Errant	M. Sheldon-Williams	1904-1906
Bermuda Mid Ocean News	Seaward S. Toddings	1911 - October 2009. Bought in 1960s by the Royal Gazette. Was a weekly (Friday) and sister newspaper of daily The Royal Gazette.
The Recorder	Rev. C. A. Stewart	1925-1975. Bought by Sir John Swan in the early 1970s for 2 years. Then Ira Philip bought it, found it unprofitable and ended it
The Echo		1928-1934
The Islander	Margaret R. Seon	1929?
The Bermuda Beacon	Military monthly, published for the US Army's Fort Bell and Kindley Field by the US Army Engineers	1942-5
The Skyliner	Military weekly, published in Bermuda for the USAF's Kindley Air Force Base (KAFB) by the KAFB Information Division	1955-1972
Tide-ings	US Navy newspaper that covered the US naval bases in Bermuda	1955-1995. Copies were always sent to the US Consulate General
Fame	June Augustus, mostly about local black business and cultural achievements and personalities	1962-1976
Bermuda Sun	Martin Dier	1964-present
Workers Voice	Reid Simmons	1971-present
Bermuda Now	Bryan Darby	1980-1981
Bermuda Times	K. Murray Brown	1987-1994

Newspapers from overseas

Available from local stores, but at very high prices, sometimes as much as 350% more than the domestic price in the country of origin. A Sunday English newspaper can now cost as much as $10 - far higher than in USA or Canada - and without most of the inserts included in Britain. Most daily newspapers are not available until later that day or at least a day later than their published dates, usually without some or all of the supplements, TV Guides, etc. They include the Miami Herald International Edition.

Broadcasting Commissioners

Under the Broadcasting Commissioners Act 1953. See in alphabetical order under "Bermuda Government Boards." E-mail gtelecom@bdagov.bm.

Broadcasting regulations and stations

All commercial, no PBS or BBC equivalent

Broadcasting content on cable, radio and local television and political broadcasting are controlled by the Bermuda Government appointed Broadcasting Commissioners set up under the Broadcasting Commissioners Act 1953. They are answerable to a cabinet minister. They act as the Film Control Authority, under the Film/Control of Exhibition Act 1959. They also advise the Minister on matters concerning the Obscene Publications Act 1973.

The only periodic exception to the all-commercial content is when the Government Emergency Broadcasting Facility operates, during a storm or hurricane or when no commercial station can broadcast because power lines are down. The Bermuda Government does not hold an equity position in any of the broadcasting companies but awards contracts to them for certain programming.

On January 14, 1994 in Bermuda, new regulations were officially introduced affecting local radio and television stations. Enacted by the House of Assembly six months earlier, they required callers to identify themselves; stations to put into effect a seven-second delay in broadcasting such calls; as well as a ban on tobacco advertising; a ban on alcohol advertising (except beer and wine) between 6 am and 9 pm; the requirement for all such advertising to include the message "Excessive alcohol may be harmful to your health;" stations to produce a daily record of programs; regular publication of time schedules for programming; and the requirement that local television stations not broadcast any program which solicits funds from the public except by an approved and registered charity.

Magazines

Media not yet shown but wishing to be mentioned below will be mentioned/linked to gladly and shown as a Bermuda resource once they link to this site at http://www.bermuda-online.org and thereby show it as a Bermuda resource, See our Reciprocal Links policy. Currently, they include:

Bermuda Online. Electronic format only. With its detailed and accurate 125+ web files on Bermuda, many of which are updated daily including all Public Holidays and weekends.

Bottom Line. See http://www.royalgazette.com/section/magazines. Published by The Royal Gazette daily newspaper. A news and features oriented quarterly business magazine, for locals and visitors. Given away with that newspaper.

RG Magazine. Published by The Royal Gazette daily newspaper. A news and features oriented monthly, for locals and visitors. Free with daily newspaper.

Radio Stations

Media below wishing to have their websites and email addresses shown below are welcome to contact the author, if they act in accordance with our Reciprocal Links policy. Radio broadcasting in Bermuda began in 1946, long before TV. Radio talk shows are popular in Bermuda. In music, there is a "local content" requirement of at least two locally sung or locally orchestrated songs or pieces of music per hour.

The Bermuda Broadcasting Company was the first continuous and remains the largest broadcasting company in Bermuda. Sometimes abbreviated locally as "BBC", it is not related to the BBC in the United Kingdom. It has been a commercial, for-profit broadcasting company since its beginning in the 1950s. The Bermuda Broadcasting Company owns radio stations and TV stations using the call letters "ZFB" and "ZBM". The ZBM callsign in Bermuda - used since 1953 for an AM radio station, since 1962 for an FM radio station, and in 1958, for the first Bermudian television station, ZBM-TV, which gave Bermudians their own TV station after years of watching a TV channel intended for American servicemen stationed at Kindley Field.

AM Radio

1160. VSB-3. Local, tourist, news, including BBC World Service from the United Kingdom.
1230. Bermuda Spirit, formerly ZFB-AM. Local. Transmitter power 1 kW. Local, religious, adult contemporary mix.
1280. VSB-2. All-Christian radio with conservative music and programs 24 hours a day
1340. ZBM-2. Since 1953.Transmitter power 1 kW, mostly news/talk format with some music programming.
1450. VSB-1 (Gold). Country.

FM Radio

89.1. FM 89 (ZBM-FM). Since 1962. ERP 15 kW. Mostly adult contemporary format.
94.9. Power 95 (ZFB-FM). Since 1971. Adult contemporary format. Transmitter power 1 kW.
98.1. KJAZ. Since 2005. Jazz, blues.
Vibe 103 FM.
106.1. Mix 106 (VSB FM)
107.5. Hott 107.5. Since 2004

Local electronic news stations often rely heavily on the daily news published very early in the morning in the only Bermuda daily newspaper, The Royal Gazette, which broadcasts about 75 percent of all Bermuda news.

Government Emergency Broadcasting Facility

This goes on the air at 1610 kHz on the AM band only when all the commercial stations are unable to broadcast. The station provides music, emergency information and announcements. They are handled jointly by public relations officers within the Police Community Relations office and Government Information Services. In recent years, the station has fulfilled a useful role as an information source during island-wide power failures, especially during hurricanes. It is operated around the clock until any one of the commercial radio stations can resume service.

Short Wave Radio

For shipping and yachts, Bermuda Harbour Radio, Bermuda Government.
Radio Canada International (RCI) short-wave broadcasts to Bermuda.

Media below wishing to have their websites and email addresses shown below are welcome to contact the author, if they act in accordance with our Reciprocal Links policy.

Bermuda Cablevision

Washington Mall, Hamilton, since May 2011. Tel: 292-5544. Fax: 295-3023. There are monthly fees for HDTV service. Many channels plus cable Broadband.

World on Wireless (WOW).

Church Street, Washington Mall Phase 2. Hamilton HM 12. Phone 292-1969. Technical support 295-0154. Fax 292-1979. Many channels.

Local TV stations

DTV is not yet being planned for Bermuda.

Media below wishing to have their websites and email addresses shown below are welcome to contact the author, if they act in accordance with our Reciprocal Links policy.

Unlike in the United Kingdom, no annual TV license fee is payable by individuals or households. Bermuda uses the North American NTSC television broadcasting standard. Reception is island wide but much better in some areas than in others, when only using rabbit-ears as an aerial. There is no equivalent in Bermuda of UK-style Freeview TV. Bermuda TV stations do not follow the methodology in the United Kingdom and North America of presenters on morning TV shows from national stations such as BBC in the UK showing pictures and leading stories from daily newspapers.

Fresh TV.

CITV (Community Information Television). Government TV channel. Began September 20, 2007. In 2006, Government allotted $840,000 for the station and in the 2007 budget set aside $690,000 and five full-time staff for the station, which is housed among the classrooms at the new Berkeley school site in Pembroke. Channel 2 on CableVision and on 102 on WOW. The programming includes a current affairs show, health and family show and entertainment show. Government announced in April 2008 a deal with a free-to-the-public (PBS) Pittsburgh public TV station, which will benefit CITV in training and programming, will reportedly come at a cost of $200,000. Then-Premier Ewart Brown, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, announced that Pittsburgh's WQED Multimedia (a public broadcasting TV and radio station) would provide the expertise to launch CITV and allow for unique training of CITV employees. An article on the deal between the TV stations recently appeared in the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette. It said Bermuda will pay WQED approximately $200,000 to consult through the end of the year on CITV The station is funded by $500,000 from the Bermuda Government. Cabinet Ministers have compared CITV with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) or the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). While CBC is an independent organization that receives Government funding but does not have an annual TV-license tax, the BBC is not free, very costly (in 2012 it was £ sterling £152.50 per household (except to the over 75s and the blind) for a color annual TV license. The UK Government's Communications Act 2003 states that all households, including individuals living by themselves, need a television licence to receive or record television programmes and use videos and/or DVDs in the process, even when they do not want to watch or record any non-BBC television program, unlike in the USA, Canada, Australia, etc. where no such compulsory TV licensing requirement or regulation exists (and would not be tolerated).

LookTV.

OnionTV. Cable channel 75, run by the Caines family. Representing and promoting the wide diversity of Bermuda's community. A subsidiary of Bermuda Style Management. Pembroke.

ZFB TV.

ZBM TV.

VSB TV.

Netflix

One of world’s largest Internet movie and TV series subscription service, it began service to Bermuda and the Caribbean in September 2011, for $7.99 a month for a limited choice of movies - cheaper than in UK.

Satellite

Many local residents have this instead of Cable TV. Systems include Direct TV, DISH satellite TV and C-Band, mostly American.