The Media Council Board is the eight-strong panel that hears complaints against the media. It has five lay members (including a chairman) with no current connection to the news media and three members nominated by the media, one each to represent print, broadcast and web. The Board is scheduled to meet monthly but this could change subject to the volume of complaints. Members will sit on the council for a minimum of one year; their tenure will be reviewed annually by the Appointments Committee.
>> Media Council Meetings Procedure
Media Council Board Members
CHRISTIAN LUTHI
Chair
Christian Luthi is a director in the Litigation & Insolvency Department of law firm Conyers Dill & Pearman. His practice encompasses all aspects of civil and commercial litigation. The major part of his practice involves the conduct of litigation in the Supreme Court of Bermuda, or arbitrations conducted in Bermuda. A graduate of Trinity College, in Hartford, Connecticut, and Oxford University, he is an accredited mediator, Chartered Institute of Mediators, honorary secretary of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Bermuda branch, and chairman of the Bar Committee on Continuing Education.
BRUCE SWAN
Deputy Chair
Bruce Swan is an associate attorney at Apex Law Group, primarily practicing in Litigation and private client matters. He has a postgraduate diploma in Legal Practice from the Leicester Institute of Legal Practice. Some of the courses he took include Ethics, and Sports and Media Law & Practice. He also has a Bachelors of Administration from Lakehead University in Canada and an LL.B from the University of Leicester.
Mr Swan is involved in the community serving on the executive of Wolves Sports Club and as a member of the Bermuda Football Associations'' Disciplinary Committee. Also, he is the director of Compliance for The Gina Spence Productions Foundation.
DARLENE LIVINGSTON
Broadcast Representative
Darlene Livingston is a veteran journalist at the Bermuda Broadcasting Company. She currently does the morning news anchor radio, but she received her start in the mid-1970s on both TV and radio for the company. She worked her way up to television programming manager and news director.
From 1989 to 1999 she represented the Bermuda Department of Tourism in Chicago as assistant sales manager. Her territory included all mid-western cities in spreading Bermuda Tourism’s message to US travel agents.
Ms. Livingston is also the owner and proprietor of R.M. Roberts Candy Wholesale which imports US and European candy to Bermuda.
LAURA BELL
Print Media Representative
Laura Bell is the owner of graphic design and marketing business, DesignLAB. A summa cum laude graduate of Jacksonville University with a degree in Visual Communications, she has over 20 years of experience in print media and previously held the positions of arts editor for the Bermuda Sun newspaper and art director for The Bermudian Publishing Company.
She is also an accomplished writer and editor and is regularly published in The Bermudian and Bermudian Weddings magazines. A fine artist, Ms Bell has had several solo exhibitions of her paintings at Masterworks and the Bermuda Society of the Arts (BSoA) and was featured in the 2004 Bermuda National Gallery Biennial exhibition. She is a former board member of the BSoA.
DEJON SIMMONS
Digital Media Representative
Dejon Simmons is a well-known Bermudian for his strength and inspirational manner which allowed him to overcome a horrific, life-changing bike crash. Since recovering from burns to 97% of his body, Mr Simmons has evolved into a multi-talented creative being, using his hardships as the core definition which has developed him into the ever-shifting medium he is today.
A six-time “Best of Bermuda” award winner with over a decade of experience in digital multimedia, Mr Simmons created the popular Bermudian digital platform BERMEMES, which quickly became a pillar in the island’s media landscape, changing the way Bermuda broadcasted information.
Mr Simmons specialises in social media, content creation, brand development and strategic content marketing and has worked on digital campaigns with organisations including The Bermuda Government, Bermuda Tourism Authority, Bermuda Development Agency, One Communications, Digicel, and Goslings.
EVELYN JAMES BARNETT
Evelyn James Barnett is a veteran local communicator. First introduced to the media industry at 16 during a career day, she began formal study after graduating from high school by getting her undergraduate degree in communications with a double minor in journalism and marketing from Indiana State University.
Ms Barnett returned to the Island and worked at Bermuda Broadcasting Company, first as a radio DJ, then moved to the newsroom and was responsible for reading early morning news and preparing the groundwork for lunchtime and afternoon newscasts. She later became an assistant producer, and then co-producer and presenter for the local one-hour News & Views Television programme, and was programme director of the religious station FM 105, which was later re-branded Spirit 105.
She became the first civilian public and media relations manager for the Bermuda Police Service and later moved on to Bermuda College where she continues to serve as the communication director for the school.
DWAYNE CAINES
Dwayne Caines is a communications specialist with over 25 years of experience in the industry. Presently he is serving as the public and media Relations Manager for the Bermuda Police Service. He has also served as the acting director at the Department of Communications and Information for the Government of Bermuda as well as the public relations manager for the Bermuda Department of Tourism in New York. He has had a stint as a middle school teacher and started his post-college career as a news and sports reporter for the Bermuda Broadcasting Company where he also hosted and produced the TV show Youth Talk.
Mr Caines earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications with an emphasis on public relations from Oakwood College, presently he sits on a number of community-focused boards as well as serves as a community advocate.
AMANDA OUTERBRIDGE
A former journalist, Amanda Outerbridge was most recently the Head of Communications at the Bermuda Monetary Authority. She worked from 2003-2014 for the XL Group as Managing Editor and Publisher, Global Head of Internal Communications, Global Director of Philanthropy, and Executive Director of the XL Foundation. Other positions included Executive Director of the Bermuda National Trust, Executive Editor of Bermuda Business magazine, Editor of the Mid-Ocean News, and Assistant Editor of The Royal Gazette.
Government board service has included: Women’s Advisory Council, Tourism Board, Development Applications Board, and Historic Buildings Advisory Committee. As an original member of the Sustainable Development Round Table, she was part of the team that developed Bermuda’s first Sustainable Development Plan.