LONDON (November 18, 2008) – Last year the media boycotted the Test cricket series in Australia until negotiations led to a suitable credential agreement that spelled out who owned the rights to photographs taken while covering Cricket Australia matches.
But this year the dispute has returned.
Reuters, the Associated Press, and Agence France-Press have suspended all coverage of matches, training sessions, and events for cricket in Australia because they were "faced with unacceptable accreditation terms from Australia's governing body, Cricket Australia," Sophie Brendel of Thompson Reuters in London said today.
Brendel said that Getty Images will fulfill their "commercial obligations only" and will join the wire services in not providing editorial coverage of the matches.
No text stories, photos or video of any of the training sessions, matches, press conferences, or events will be distributed by the international news agencies for the first test against New Zealand later this month, and potentially for the South Africa test coming up in December.
"Reuters is regrettably unable to cover the upcoming cricket events in Australia, following unacceptable accreditation terms for journalists imposed by Cricket Australia" said Christoph Pleitgen, Global Head of News Agency for Thomson Reuters.
"As in previous instances, this decision compromises our ability to report independently and objectively, and comes at the expense of global fans and sponsors.
"We would like to resume our timely, premium coverage as quickly as possible, pending a solution to the current situation. However, freedom of the press and protecting the news interests and coverage rights of our global clients are at the core of both our business and Reuters editorial principles, and these must be upheld."
The agencies have joined together with the News Media Coalition to "protect the editorial freedom of media organizations" and they have been in talks with Cricket Australia for many months over the credential terms. They have been unable to agree on suitable terms about restrictions that define how newspaper Web sites can be updated; over Cricket Australia's insistence on veto power over which Web sites and non-sports magazines, news agencies, and newspaper syndication services can publish news from CA events; CA rules that prevent news content from being distributed to mobile phone services; CA's refusal to acknowledge in writing the importance of editorial freedom; and procedures that the News Media Coalition says to not allow for a fair remedy of suspected breaches.
The News Media Coalition is an international non-profit organization whose goal is to address specific threats to editorial operations, publishing, and independent journalism and to fight what they see as excessive controls on the flow of news to the public.
The general manager for public affairs for Cricket Australia said they are still negotiating over the media rights and that any suspension of coverage would be "regrettable."
"We're still negotiating in good faith and we hope a commonsense and pragmatic solution will be found," Peter Young told Reuters.
