Premier League agrees deal with newspapers over reporting restrictions
Newcastle United are one of the clubs embroiled in controversy over banning journalists.
The Premier League has agreed a deal with a coalition of the UK’s major national newspapers and international news agencies which lays out regulations on access to reporting on clubs and matches.
The deal, which also includes the Football League, has been designed to reflect the fast moving digital media environment and also addresses the recent instances of clubs blacklisting certain reporters with a clause allowing journalists formal opportunities to raise the issue with the governing body.
It will replace the previous four year agreement struck in 2011 and takes into account the advances in digital media technology which have occurred since then. Reporters will now be allowed to file more photos during matches and the stipulated time delay for filing reports digitally from within grounds has been reduced from three minutes to one minute.
The News Media Coalition includes Guardian News & Media, the Telegraph, the Independent, News UK and Trinity Mirror but not Richard Desmond’s Express Newspapers group.
The NMC also includes news agencies Thomson Reuters, Associated Press, AFP and the Press Association.
In a joint statement the NMC and football leagues said they were “pleased” with the agreement, adding that it was “achieved on a constructive basis and we look forward to working together in the coming years”.
The new pledge between the various parties comes amid recent controversy over some journalists being banned from access to individual clubs including Newcastle who banned Channel 4 journalist Alex Thomson because he planned on asking a question on why the club banned Sun reporters.