Reuters suspends coverage of Australia tour of India

By N.Ananthanarayanan

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - International news agency Reuters on Thursday suspended coverage of Australia's test cricket series in India due to the accreditation terms of organisers, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

The terms which journalists must sign before being given match accreditation include a bar on distributing photographs to cricket website portals which Reuters say is unacceptable.

Behind the dispute lies growing media concern that sporting bodies' increasing determination to maximise commercial benefit from their events is restricting press freedom to cover them and distribute their images and news as they see fit.

Reuters said it also would not be able to cover future games in Australia unless a number of accreditation terms from Cricket Australia (CA), including the resale of photographs and over the number of report updates during a game, are dropped.

"Regrettably, Reuters is unable to cover the upcoming cricket tournaments in India, and potentially Australia, following unacceptable accreditation terms for journalists imposed by the BCCI and Cricket Australia," Christoph Pleitgen, Global Head of News Agency for Thomson Reuters, said in a statement.

"This decision compromises our ability to report independently and objectively in these countries, and comes at the expense of global fans and sponsors.

'EDITORIAL PRINCIPLES'