Media
A dispute between Rugby's governing body the IRB and news agency Reuters over rights issues, has provoked several rival new agencies to follow Reuters lead and boycott coverage of the Rugby World Cup.
Reuters, Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, European Pressphoto Agency and Getty Images have suspended all coverage of the event, which is currently in pre-tournament and training stages ahead of the first match on Friday in France.
Today Reuters suspended all its text, TV and picture coverage. The managing director of media at Reuters, Monique Villa, said: "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."
The news agencies are protesting against coverage limits that the IRB wants to impose including the number of photos that can be transmitted for use on the internet during games, restrictions on video footage and terms and conditions in press accreditation documents which do not match those previously agreed with the IRB.
Sources at the tournament told The Guardian the situation was "chaos," with some press getting turned away from events.
ITV, which will be showing the Rugby World Cup on TV in the UK, is thought have competition from the BBC when the next tournament comes up for tender. The IRB is expected to issue tender documents for the 2011 event to broadcasters shortly after this year's final.
Reuters, Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, European Pressphoto Agency and Getty Images have suspended all coverage of the event, which is currently in pre-tournament and training stages ahead of the first match on Friday in France.
Today Reuters suspended all its text, TV and picture coverage. The managing director of media at Reuters, Monique Villa, said: "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."
The news agencies are protesting against coverage limits that the IRB wants to impose including the number of photos that can be transmitted for use on the internet during games, restrictions on video footage and terms and conditions in press accreditation documents which do not match those previously agreed with the IRB.
Sources at the tournament told The Guardian the situation was "chaos," with some press getting turned away from events.
ITV, which will be showing the Rugby World Cup on TV in the UK, is thought have competition from the BBC when the next tournament comes up for tender. The IRB is expected to issue tender documents for the 2011 event to broadcasters shortly after this year's final.
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