SEC Revises Controversial Credential Policy

 

ATLANTA, GA (August 27, 2009) – Responding to a protest by media organizations, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) has put out its final Media Credential Policy for the 2009-10 season for media coverage of football games. The SEC says the policy is in effect for all SEC intercollegiate athletic events hosted by its member institutions.

The SEC issued another revision of its credential rules Thursday after negotiations that involved SEC commissioner Mike Slive and representatives of the Associated Press Managing Editors, Associated Press Sports Editors, the American Society of News Editors, and the Radio and Television News Directors Association.

Media groups including the AP and Gannett sent a letter to the SEC last week, complaining that new guidelines would hinder coverage of games through new media outlets on the Internet.

Among the adjustments to the final revision, media agencies now have additional flexibility in Internet news coverage, uses of photographic images, access to video images for television newscasts and special shows and clarification in the provisions of blogging, AP reports.

David Tomlin, AP's associate general counsel, said the new credential rules are "a very significant step forward" though there are still some provisions that news outlets are likely to find objectionable.

News organization's objected to the SEC's original credential agreement because it prevented newspapers from using video and audio game highlights on their Web sites, put time-limit restrictions on post-game and pre-game audio and video; restricted photo usage online to editorial content only (no archives or sales); granted the SEC and universities licensing privileges to use a newspaper's images for their own use; and prohibited blogging or Web publishing during the course of a game.

In today's credential policy, most of the restrictions were lifted.

The SEC's final credential policy for this season does say that the SEC will retain its exclusive rights for game action video on the Internet while at the same time giving media outlets the opportunity to access game highlights through an embedded video player. They said the policy will be reviewed annually.

The new SEC credential policy is available online as a PDF here.

 

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