Established in the early 1970s to respond to complaints about and from the media, the four press councils in Canada (the Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, and Windsor Press Councils) have been accepted, but not overwhelmingly so by either newspapers or the public. The success and acceptability of the councils seems to be related to the kinds of complaints brought before them; and for the most part, the complaints so far handled have been minor in nature. In addition to handling complaints, the councils also stress an interest in raising professional standards. As part of this effort, the Ontario Press Council has published three pamphlets that address important media questions. The fact that none of the reports reaches any definite conclusions suggests the complexity of the questions: this may indicate to the public that there are no simple answers to the problems facing the media. The groundwork for the press councils has been laid--only time will tell how successful they will become. (FL)