Australian parliamentary committee backs media companies in dispute with sports organisers over online news and photos

Posted by Emma Heald on May 15, 2009 at 12:28 PM

An Australian parliamentary committee has decided to back media companies' rights to publish sports news and photographs online, rejecting claims of some organisers that their sport will suffer financially if they are not allowed greater control of coverage. The Senate Standing Committee on Environment, Communications and the Arts had studied the relationship between sport and digital media in the context of contractual accreditation rules on media access to events and control on news content.

The in-depth inquiry arose from disputes in Australia about the fact that some sports organisations, such as Cricket Australia, were trying to impose tighter controls on the use of images and news reports online, using terms and accreditation for media access. In effect, they wanted media to be restricted from profiting from content produced at their events, reported the Associated Press. Their main argument seemed to be that media companies could make money from content such as photographs published online long after it had lost its news value. Media groups, however, claimed that such restrictions deny the public proper access to news and information.

Major Australian sports bodies, the International Olympic Committee and international and Australian news organisations (including the Associated Press) made submissions and evidence to the committee. The senators' report found that the basic definition of news had not changed because of the Internet, and "recommends that stakeholders negotiate media access to sporting events based on the principle that all bona fide journalists, including photojournalists and news agencies, should be able to access sporting events regardless of their technological platform." If negotiation does not succeed, then government intervention might be necessary.

The News Media Coalition announced in a press release that it welcomed an Australian parliamentary inquiry report for recognising the importance of sports news to society. The NMC, an international not-for-profit organization specializing in press freedom in sports news, said that the conclusions of the Senators show that "there are real concerns, which affect matters of public interest and media freedom, arising from recent innovations in accreditation practices by some sports."

Source: Associated Press, News Media Coalition Press Release