I’ve long been critical of sporting journalists reluctance to tackle the hard stories in sport, now we see why with the AFL players refusing to deal with match broadcaster Chcnnel 7 in a dispute over recreational drug use in the sport.
Talks fail to heal rift with Seven.
PEACE talks between the AFL, the AFL Players Association and Channel Seven broke down late yesterday over the league and union’s insistence that the television network permanently suppress the contents of a controversial news report.
AFL chief Andrew Demetriou, the head of the players’ association Brendon Gale and their legal advisers also sought an apology from the network over its decision to broadcast the personal records of two Melbourne-based players receiving treatment for drug use.
Seven must absolute stand it’s ground here, in fact I would go so far as to say that they should counter threaten and refuse to broadcast the game in what is clearly an intimidation tactic, one designed to prevent sporting journalists from doing their jobs.
What do readers think of this situation?
4 responses so far ↓
Mungo Amanda // Aug 30, 2007 at 12:19 pm
On the contrary, I think there is legitimate reason for the players to stand their ground against Seven.
They bought what they must have or should have if they had have a brain known were dodgily (perhaps criminally) acquired private medical records and broadcast the info within them.
Private medical records.
Which fell into the lap of the reporters, not even the fruits of hard hitting investigative journalism.
You don’t go around trading in medical records and then claim the moral high ground.
Five // Aug 30, 2007 at 7:57 pm
I am absolutely with the players here. As one who had used a rehab service said, he was told it was private and they would be protected. That’s what rehab is for – to get better!
Patient-client confidentiality should be something that television stations undertake to protect.
Phil // Aug 30, 2007 at 10:00 pm
Don’t care about the athletes rights, seen that argument made all the time in cycling, then they get caught or admit that something more was going on….they lie.
And outside of Track and Field the football codes are the biggest dopers, recreational or otherwise.
As I mentioned on the John’s post, it’s a sign of something else going on, that’s why it’s valid in a journalistic sense.
Mungo Amanda // Aug 30, 2007 at 10:53 pm
It is never valid to buy criminally acquired private medical records and broadcast them.