News agencies all set to abandon IPL

The IPL organisers continue to ignore the pleas of the News Media Coalition (NMC), the international body that monitors the specific threat to editorial operations from excessive controls imposed by sporting events, as international news agencies, which provided coverage of the second season in South Africa, are being forced to abandon plans to attend the third edition. Due to the new IPL rules, newspapers and broadcasters who rely upon news agencies for reports and photographs will not be able to provide similar coverage for the tournament beginning March 12.

The NMC has been contacted by a number of media organisations about the IPL terms. The NMC and news organisations in India have told the IPL that coverage will be affected unless there is a change to the media rules which govern journalist and photographer attendances.

"Without changes international news agencies are bound to consider not attending this year's event to provide editorial coverage," the NMC said in a release today. "Newspapers in India and abroad are also known to be reconsidering their plans for coverage based on these arrangements. As many publishers the world over rely upon news agencies for news material the stance taken by the IPL can only serve to limit news and free promotional value of their event and brand."

The corporation had earlier called upon the IPL to find a solution to the widespread press concerns. The NMC had previously reached a compromise agreement with the IPL for last year's tournament and assisted in fostering productive relations between the tournament's promoters and the news media.

"If media organisations feel forced not to attend this year it would set back the positive goodwill and relationship which characterised the event last year," the NMC statement said. "We urge the IPL executive to engage in meaningful discussions to identify a solution in this area of press freedom concern.

"News organisations want the IPL to remove aspects of the terms and conditions of journalist attendance which seek to define news platforms that are acceptable to the IPL in terms of their ownership and/or the scope of their business operations. Other concerns relate to the imposition of updating quotas, which also need reconsideration."