Our History

The MCC came into being in 1997 after the then Government tried to have passed in Parliament the  “Green Paper” on Media. In May 1997, the government published a report entitled “Toward a Free and Responsible Media,” which proposed the adoption of statutes requiring journalists to report with “due accuracy and impartiality.” The “green paper” also called for the creation of a code of ethics mandating that journalists promote national unity, and economic and social progress. The plan was shelved in response to public outcry.

The owners and CEO’s of media companies that then comprised the Trinidad and Tobago Publishers and Broadcasters Association (TTPBA) saw the need to establish an independent body charged with enforcing a Code of Practice that was adopted by the media. Since that time the MCC has been funded and supported by the TTPBA.