The National News Council was formed in 1973 to address the concerns and content of national news media. Its mission was to maintain accountability among the press and to maintain public trust in the news media. Essentially the NNC sought to remedy the wrongs of the news media by publicizing its findings of ethical violations. Because the news media was the watchdog of the government, NNC took on the watchdog role of the press. .
During its reign the NNC did not completely gain support from those in the journalism world. Opponents like journalist Walter Cronkite, opposed the idea of the council because it did not advise journalists, rather it censored them by telling them what to report. However journalist Mike Wallace believed the opposite. Wallace said that the council could only help journalist and blamed the fall of the council on criticizers like Cronkite. While the council disbanded in 1984 due to lack of funds and support, there are still three state news councils that exist "Minnesota, Hawaii, and Oregon/Washington.
News councils are important because they serve as a mechanism of accountability. Without the councils, journalists have no watchdog over them besides the codes of ethics. The codes of ethics however contain only suggested directives that journalists should uphold and at times can be too broad, leading to little accountability. A news council provides a more in-depth analysis of ethical dilemmas that may save a news organization from lawsuits.
The mission of a news council is to promote fairness and accuracy in the journalism business. A news council helps to maintain trust in the news media by public governance. Because the public is the core concern of journalists, they have the right to examine the practices of journalist. While making sure that a journalist prime directive of informing the public is met in a balanced and objective manner, news councils can lessen the gap between the public and the news media.
