WAN: Australian Football League’s restrictions are “a dangerous erosion” of independent press coverage

Posted by Mica Swyers on June 25, 2007 at 2:59 PM

In a letter to Australian Football League president Andrew Demetriou, Timothy Balding, CEO of WAN, has protested the AFL’s ban on photographers from global and foreign newspapers during its events. Balding calls the restrictions a “dangerous erosion of press freedom” which could have serious implications for global sports coverage if other sports bodies adopt similar policies.

The AFL currently refuses to provide media accreditation to global and foreign news organizations, a decision protested by WAN and other news agencies such as Agence France-Presse, The Associated Press, Reuters, and Getty Images.

The AFL’s refusal to provide media accreditation to foreign and global news organizations is part of a growing trend among sports bodies to limit independent coverage of events. Recently, WAN and other news agencies protested the International Rugby Board’s press restrictions during the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France. In mid-June, similar press restrictions caused the ejection of sports blogger Brian Bennett during an NCAA championship baseball game.

Source: WAN