The S&D Group in the European Parliament today backed a petition lodged by the International Sport Press Association against the expensive accreditation fees imposed on radio journalists to cover sporting events.
During a recent Champions League match between Manchester United and Olympique de Marseille, the French public broadcaster was charged €26,000. Similar problems arose in connection with La Liga matches and the Giro d'Italia, notably affecting the work of smaller radio stations.
Pointing to the need to safeguard the general public's access to information, Lidia Geringer De Oedenberg MEP and S&D spokesperson in the European Parliament's committee on petitions, said:
"As a former journalist and director of programmes for Polish television, I am particularly concerned about the serious abuses which are increasingly hindering the work of sports journalists. The financial and trading system which comes with professional sport is a factor in excluding many media outlets and is a threat to the independence of the press.
"A journalist forced to pay huge sums to practise his profession in a stadium or on a race track, becomes a de facto publicity agent, because there is a financial transaction and the notion of profitability. This is in total contradiction with the values of freedom of expression set out in the Charter of Fundamental Rights and defended by the S&D Group. This violates the ethics of the press and manipulates citizens and viewers."
