Getty joins Reuters and other news agencies in suspending coverage of Rugby World Cup
Reuters claims IRB unwilling to 'engage with us to resolve the dispute over accreditation terms'
– 2 min read
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Getty Images has joined Reuters and other leading news agencies in suspending its coverage of the Rugby World Cup after a rights dispute with the International Rugby Board (IRB).
Reuters today suspended 'all coverage of pre-tournament events and training sessions' of the event, which begins in France on Friday.
It issued a statement saying it 'regretted' having to suspend text, pictures and TV coverage and accused the IRB of 'unwillingness to engage with us to resolve the dispute over accreditation terms'.
Getty Images become the second major news and picture agency to today suspend coverage.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) also reported it , along with the Associated Press and the German agency DPA, would boycott text, photo or video news on the World Cup for 24 hours in protest at restrictions imposed by the sport's governing body.
"We are currently withholding all our coverage," a spokesperson for Getty told Journalism.co.uk
"There was a discussion held at the end of August and in theory there was a compromise reached there, but its very unclear what that entails and they (IRB) don't seem to be giving any clarity.
"Until we know where we are we're not producing any coverage on our site. We have got all our photographers there, and we would like to be back in there shooting it, but at the moment we are withholding our coverage."
An argument between the IRB and the world's media has been brewing for some time.
Matters came to a head earlier in the week when a coalition of over 40 news organisations from across the globe - including these agencies - issued a statement complaining about IRB's position on several rights issues. One of which covers limits to the use of audio-visual materials on newspaper websites.
"Reuters is suspending all coverage of pre-tournament events and training sessions of the Rugby World Cup 2007, across text, pictures and TV," said Monique Villa, managing director of media at Reuters, earlier today.
"Reuters regrets this course of action. However, protecting the interests and coverage rights of our global client base is of key importance to Reuters. Amid growing confusion and uncertainty over reporting terms, and the IRB's unwillingness to engage with us to resolve the dispute over accreditation terms, Reuters is unable to continue coverage as planned.
"Reuters would like to resume coverage of the Rugby World Cup, to provide the world's media with premium, timely text, photographs and TV. However, freedom of the press and our editorial integrity are at the core of our business, and these must be respected."
The protest action was to be reviewed by the agencies on Friday after new negotiations, AFP claimed.
Written by
Laura Oliver is a freelance journalist, a contributor to the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, co-founder of The Society of Freelance Journalists and the former editor of Journalism.co.uk (prior to it becoming JournalismUK)
