Public-relations subcommittee chairman Arun Lortrakul said council secretary-general Chawarong Limpatthamapani had told a council meeting on Friday that while most newspapers used pseudonyms for rape victims, some used the victim's real name and address in cases where the victim was killed, which some council members thought was tantamount to dealing them a second blow.

Because of this, the council has set up a three-member panel to gather opinions and draft guidelines within two months for news reporting and photojournalism affecting children, women, the disabled and the underprivileged, Chawarong said.

The council also agreed to issue a warning to Ban Muang newspaper for publishing a photo of a rape-and-murder victim on May 5 on the ground that it breached the press ethics code.

Friday's meeting also touched on the progress of a probe into a complaint filed against The Nation newspaper by a PM's Office spokesman that a report about a change of chairman for the committee organising the cele-brations of the 60th anniversary of His Majesty the King's accession to the throne was not true.

The newspaper told the panel it had checked its facts with two or three sources, tried to reach the persons mentioned for comment and, in the wake of expositions by the plaintiff, had run an article explaining the situation the following day, Chawarong said.

The panel needs more details of the paper's attempts to contact the persons mentioned and notes that the first article did not say it had tried to reach them, Chawarong said, adding that this case, once ruled, may become standard procedure for news reporting.

The council also agreed on the proposal by Duangkamol Chotana, secretary to the subcommittee for press freedom, that a study centre on press law and policy be established to provide information and analyse legal matters for media professionals.

The centre could also give legal assistance to members and help lawyers liaise with newspapers sued in the same case, Duangkamol said.