The World Association of Newspapers andNews Publishers (WAN-IFRA) and the World Editors Forum have joined the protestagainst Indian cricket authorities, who have locked out reputable photographicnews agencies from the high-profile India-England cricket series that begantoday.
"It is simply unacceptable for the Board of Cricket Controlfor India (BCCI) to take it upon themselves to refuse accreditation tolegitimate news agencies, and to tear down the traditional role thatindependent news media plays in bringing sport news to the public," saidJacob Mathew, President of WAN-IFRA and Executive Editor and Publisher of theMalayala Manorama Group of Publications (Kerala) was quoted as saying by amedia release.
"Photos are an integral part of news coverage. Becauseof this unfortunate decision, photographic coverage will be disrupted andcricket fans are being deprived of their right to choose their newssources," he said.
"These restrictions are a serious challenge to media freedom."
The BCCI has locked out international photo agencies, includingGetty Images, Action Images and two Indian photo agencies. The decision torefuse accreditation led to a decision by Thomson Reuters, Agence France-Presseand Associated Press to suspend reports about the tour as well as pictures. ThePress Association, national agency in the United Kingdom, is also not supplyingphotographs. The Society of Editors in the United Kingdom has also protestedagainst the move.
WAN-IFRA, based in Paris, France, and Darmstadt, Germany, withsubsidiaries in Singapore, India, Spain, France and Sweden is the globalorganisation of the world's newspapers and news publishers.
It represents more than 18,000 publications 15,000 online sitesand over 3,000 companies in more than 120 countries. Its core mission is todefend and promote press freedom, quality journalism and editorial integrityand the development of prosperous businesses.
WAN-IFRA is a member of the News Media Coalition, an internationalorganisation and network focusing on the specific threat to legitimateeditorial, press and publishing freedoms from the controls placed onnews-gathering and news-distribution practices by the organisers of majorevents of public interest.