TWO WEEKS AGO, at a luncheon in the upscale Harborside restaurant in Seattle, John Hamer pitched his brainchild, the Washington News Council, to a crowd of business and public relations executives. Hamer said his organization was trying to "balance the scales" between citizens and the media. On its face, Hamer's idea seems fair. The WNC would work as an arbiter between the media and the people who are upset by inaccurate news coverage. However, since its inception a year and a half ago, the Washington News Council has taken a beating in the press. It could be that members of the media are just protecting themselves, but there are legitimate concerns.

Hamer says the council is modeled after the successful 30-year-old Minnesota News Council, and functions as a mock courtroom where council members hear the complaints of irked viewers and readers. While the complainant gives up the right to sue the media, the media agrees to publish the findings of the council, thus suffering public humiliation. The concept is intriguing, but it raised eyebrows when the council announced its inception last year. The concern involved the council's director, Hamer, a noted conservative and former Seattle Times editorial writer. Critics in the press worried that Hamer's background (he was also a media critic for the conservative think tank Washington Institute Foundation) would create a pro-business council and provide a forum for conservative agendas.

Though Hamer assured critics that the council would have a wide range of representation, eight of the 11 public board members represent businesses and conservative backgrounds. Members include Don Brunell, president of the Association of Washington Business, and Walter Howe, former president of Washington Roundtable, a powerful CEO club. The three non-business-sector members include a University of Washington professor, a Capitol Hill elementary school teacher, and Bill Gates Sr., chairman of the Gates Foundation. There are no labor or community representatives on the council. (In addition to the public seats, there are 11 others reserved for the media.)

Excluding the Gates Foundation, which gave $250,000 over a three-year period, most of the council's money comes from the private sector. Contributions included $25,000 from Bruce and Jolene McCaw, $10,000 from Pemco Insurance, and $5,000 apiece from Microsoft, Northwest Airlines, and the beleaguered Alaska Airlines.

The Washington News Council could be an important and needed service, but it remains to be seen whether the council's business make-up and conservative origins will slant its findings. (To date, the council's two rulings have not revealed a conservative agenda.)

Luckily, four seats are open on the council board this summer, which could offer a chance to offset the council's heavy business membership.

pat@thestranger.com