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World's Press, News
Agencies, Regret FIFA's Withdrawal From World Cup Talks
Paris, 23
February 2006--The World Association of Newspapers and a coalition
of the world's leading news agencies today expressed their 'dismay'
and 'deep regret' about the decision of FIFA, the international,soccer
federation, to abandon talks about the severe restrictions the
organization has placed on press coverage of this summer's World
Cup, despite the continuing disagreement between the two sides.
WAN, representing
the world's newspapers, and a coalition of news agencies headed
by Agence France-Presse and including The Associated Press, Reuters,
Getty Images, DPA the German news agency - and the European
PressPhoto Agency, EPA, said they would now explore their legal
options, inform World Cup sponsors of "the very clear loss
of exposure from which they will suffer owing to FIFA's publishing
restrictions" and alert German and European political leaders
about what they consider a violation of conventions on the free
access to and free flow of information.
The restrictions
"constitute both an interference in editorial freedom and
independence and a clear breach of the right to freedom of information",
WAN Chief Executive Officer Timothy Balding and AFP President
and CEO Pierre Louette said in a letter to FIFA President Sepp
Blatter.
FIFA has banned
publication of World Cup photos through the Internet, including
on thousands of newspaper web sites, during matches and has severely
limited the number that can be published, regardless of time limits.
It has also introduced editorial restrictions on how photographs
can be used in print publications
The restrictions
are imposed as a condition of access to the World Cup and news
media are obliged to accept them before gaining accreditation
to the events, to be held in Germany in June. News media face
expulsion and legal action if the rules are broken -- and FIFA
holds news agencies responsible if their clients break the embargo
or publish too many photos.
WAN has been
negotiating with FIFA to remove the restrictions since September
2005, and met with Mr Blatter and the federation's lawyers and
other representatives on 9 January, when the two sides agreed
to create a joint working party to seek solutions. But a few days
after the first meeting of the working group on 13 February, at
which FIFA made no more than 'cosmetic' changes to the rules,
the football federation sent a 'final version' of the terms and
conditions that continue to ignore the fundamental objections
of WAN and the news agencies.
"We are
greatly dissatisfied by both the substance of FIFA's response
to our case and, frankly, by the manner in which your team has
presented your proposals and conclusions to us," said the
letter to Mr Blatter.
"We would
like to reiterate our firm belief that your restrictions on our
journalistic coverage of the 2006 World Cup not only deprive our
readers and clients of access to important information on a public
event, but constitute both an interference in editorial freedom
and independence and a clear breach of the right to freedom of
information as protected by numerous international conventions,"
said the letter. "You have made it clear that FIFA rejects
both these ideas and, to express is bluntly, considers that 'business
is business.'
"Beyond
this, we are truly saddened and shocked that in the name of maximising
the commercial exploitation of these events, FIFA should effectively
turn its back on the news media which give life, on a daily basis,
to football in all its different manifestations all over the world
and have done so for decades."
FIFA had originally
decreed that web publication of photos was banned for two hours
after a match ended. Since the talks began, they have reduced
this first to one hour, then to permission that first-half photos
can be published as soon as a match ends, with second-half photos
allowed 45 minutes later, and finally to publication at the final
whistle but never during matches. Only five photos per match
half and two per extra time, including penalty 'shoot-outs', can
be published on web sites, regardless of time limits, and FIFA
has refused to alter this rule.
FIFA says
it needs the delay and the limit on photos to protect its commercial
contracts with licensees but WAN and the news agencies argue that,
apart from anything else, the rules are needless as web coverage
does not threaten broadcasters.
A copy of
the full letter to Mr Blatter can be seen at http://www.wan-press.org/article9337.html
The Paris-based
WAN, the global organisation for the newspaper industry, represents
18,000 newspapers; its membership includes 73 national newspaper
associations, newspapers and newspaper executives in 102 countries,
11 news agencies and nine regional and world-wide press groups.
For more information
contact:
Inquiries
to: Larry Kilman, Director of Communications, WAN, 7 rue Geoffroy
St Hilaire, 75005 Paris France. Tel: +33 1 47 42 85 00. Fax: +33
1 47 42 49 48. Mobile: +33 6 10 28 97 36. E-mail: lkilman@wan.asso.fr
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