AAP won't seek accreditation for RWC

AAP
June 22, 2015, 8:23 am

Australian Associated Press will not seek accreditation to cover October's Rugby World Cup because the governing body's terms unreasonably limit editorialised video match highlights.

The decision to not send journalists or photographers from AAP or its New Zealand operation NZN to the United Kingdom is in line with the stand taken by News Corp Australia and Fairfax Media.

AAP Editor in Chief Tony Gillies says the decision was not made lightly but "AAP is not prepared to sign away what it sees as fundamental editorial rights."

He said even though AAP did not intend to shoot video within the venues, World Rugby wanted to dictate how and when the limited footage gleaned from outside the venues under Australia's effective fair dealing principles was shown.

"We genuinely want to be at the games providing rich coverage of the tournament and news of the Australian and New Zealand camps for local audiences. Nothing beats being there," Mr Gillies said.

"But we just can't work to these terms."

Unaccredited reporters and producers could report on games by watching live television broadcasts, and scrape and publish video highlights within fair dealing rules, he said.

"Ironically, media organisations or individuals who do not accredit staff or go through the expense of travelling to the UK could provide a richer coverage than those who attend under World Rugby's conditions," he said.

"Handing an advantage to bloggers working remotely doesn't make a lot of sense to us and we find it frustrating that months of negotiations have failed to find a palatable solution."

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/sp...ation-for-rwc/

Anyone notice how World Rugby are becoming more like FIFA?

Sounds like a load of bollocks to me ... :(

Rugby head hopes for Aust WCup media cover

Stephen Wade
June 25, 2015, 7:23 am


World Rugby chief executive Brett Gosper says he hopes continuing negotiations will result in the Australian media covering the World Cup and end an impasse over the terms and conditions of accreditation for the tournament which starts in September in England.

Earlier this week, Australian Associated Press (AAP) said it would not seek accreditation for the tournament because the sport's world governing body's terms "unreasonably limit editorialised video match highlights".

The decision to not send journalists or photographers from AAP or its New Zealand operation NZN to Britain follows a similar stand taken by News Corp Australia and Fairfax Media in Australia.

AAP editor-in-chief Tony Gillies said "AAP is not prepared to sign away what it sees as fundamental editorial rights".

Gosper, an Australian and son of former International Olympic Committee vice-president Kevan Gosper, said during a visit to the site of next year's Olympics, where rugby sevens will make its debut, that "this is an ongoing conversation ... we hope we can find a way that the media in Australia is officially associated with the (World Cup) event. We'll keep working to that."

The three Australian organisations have had issues with terms and conditions of covering the tournament in the past. Fairfax and News Corp didn't seek credentials for the World Cup in New Zealand in 2011, but bought tickets for reporters and provided coverage of some matches. AAP was accredited.

Some international media threatened to boycott the 2007 World Cup in France before a resolution was reached with organisers only hours before kickoff in the opening match.

"The Australian media believe we've been too restrictive on the rights and images coming out," Gosper said on Wednesday. "It does seem that the position in Australia is quite entrenched and they're looking for very broad rights, which we can't deliver given that we're protecting those broadcasters who are paying large sums of money to make this event happen.

"There is quite a distance between us, unfortunately."

Gosper said Australian media would be at the World Cup, but perhaps not in an "official" capacity.

"There will be coverage. This is not to say there will be a blackout on the event," Gosper said. "It just means they're not taking up their official accreditation.

"We've relaxed our position since 2011 and we'd hoped that would have been enough to make these organisations feel that we've gone in the right direction and made efforts in that way. At the moment, they're not seeing it that way. Hopefully, in the time we've got left, there will be some narrowing of that distance."

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/sp...p-media-cover/

I read that as "AAC" and panicked...

Not such a worry these days he's bench fodder and injury cover