A proposal to set up a press council was put forward by a Labour Party senator yesterday.
At a press conference in Dublin Ms Kathleen O'Meara, a former RTE journalist and trade union activist, said the body would adjudicate on complaints, take an independent role in drawing up codes of practice and operate in a "watchdog role in maintaining high standards in journalism".
At present the public had nowhere to go except to court with a complaint and a press council could provide a forum for those with complaints, as well as upholding good standards in journalism.
"I am proposing that the press council be a voluntary body, organised and funded by the industry but with a very strong representation from the public, and in particular representatives of the socially excluded."
She wanted to see journalists, editors and the public taking part in the council for the print media, which would be chaired by a respected public figure.
She believed that a voluntary press council with an independent chair, funded by the industry but with a powerful independent representation on it, could play a central role in maintaining public confidence and trust in the media.
The idea of the council could only be successful if all the elements of the print media, as well as the NUJ, made a serious attempt to make it work.
She hoped the key players in the print media, including the NUJ, editors and owners, as well as the provincial press, would get together in the next few months to debate this proposal and decide how to make it a reality.
Ms O'Meara said that in general the Irish public was well served by the media which played a key role in our democracy.
"But given its power to shape opinion and its increasingly influential role where other centres of authority have weakened, it is not surprising that there is a growing public demand that the media itself should have to answer for its actions.
"In other words, I think it is time for the Irish media to provide the public, their customer, with a place to go with a complaint, when they feel personally wronged, that the media is not telling their story, or is not telling it correctly.
"While we have not reached the excesses of the British tabloid press, that does not mean that there are not examples where the Irish media has let its standards slip. Indeed, the increasing presence of the British media in Ireland is another reason why we should have our own watchdog."
Publishing an annual report, detailing complaints heard, as well as outlining the industry's response to them, would further strengthen public accountability in the operations of the media.
"By taking the initiative on issues such as the reporting of child abuse, and in developing codes of conduct, or developing the existing NUJ code, the council could shape and reflect public debate and have the flexibility to adapt and reflect changing public opinion," she said.