Published: Apr 16, 2014, 12:31 PM (IST)
Edited: Jul 23, 2014, 07:18 PM (IST)
Apr 16, 2014
The Indian Premier League (IPL) found itself in the middle of yet another controversy. This came after the IPL governing council’s decision to prohibit certain photo agencies such as Getty Images and Action Images from covering the seventh edition of the IPL due to a disagreement about the commercialisation of images.
According to a report on Reuters, Thomson Reuters, Agence France-Presse (AFP) and Associated Press (AP) will not be sending any reporters or photographers to the tournament to protest what they view as a limit on editorial freedom.
According to the report, the News Media Coalition, an organization that battles restrictions placed on news gathering and dissipating by the organisers of major sporting events, said in a statement, “The IPL policy is counter-productive and will lead to cricket fans being denied the varied and independent coverage they would expect from such reputable news sources.”
“Between them, news agencies reach hundreds of thousands of publishing entities which are seen by millions of readers. That’s the value of getting the news media on-side – to the benefit of team franchises, players and sponsors.”
“International news and photo agencies were able to cover the first IPL tournaments including the one in South Africa and we do not believe there should be an obstacle for the IPL 7 or other Indian cricket events.”
