Organisers of events of high public interest and reputable news businesses each have significant parts to play in the lives of individuals – and the economics of sport.
But arbitrary contractual rules on the news media through ‘accreditation and access’ machinery for journalism need to be challenged.
The news media embrace great sport; and sport enjoys the overall benefits of news interest in their events. It can be a love-hate-love relationship but there’s nothing like informed and independent editorial coverage for creating the public buzz.
To continue to be relevant and viable the news media must be allowed to continue to evolve and use innovative technologies (as sport evolves too). Yesterday’s developments were from print to digital, photography and graphics, to colour, news video and live updating and remote news-gathering technologies such as drones and live news-gatherer to newsroom capabilities.
Where positive examples of news media terms and conditions occur the News Media Coalition seeks to promote these to other event organisers as models of best practice. Some events in the UK – notably the Commonwealth Games 2022 – facilitated positive conditions for the News Media that boosted the visibility of sport and the media’s attention on a successful games in the UK.
The news media continue to adapt to new informative methods such as virtual reality and social media delivery. All are today’s news reality; but in time there will be others.
Event organisations have themselves embraced technology and even their own publishing schemes. But there is no substitute for the professionally-produced independent news-gathering, editing and publishing.
At the NMC we believe there is a need and space for all so that event news-gathering can draw from the past and move into the news future.