The long-running row over regional press access to the London 2012 Olympics has finally been resolved after Games bosses agreed to allocate 39 press passes to local and regional newspapers.
Initially, the British Olympics Association had wanted most regional titles to take their coverage from the Press Association, with only a handful of local papers succeeding in gaining individual accreditation.
But the BOA has agreed to widen press access following a spirited campaign by a number of local titles and a concerted behind-the-scenes lobbying operation by the Newspaper Society.
Now it has agreed to allocate 22 reporters passes and seven photographers passes to regional newspapers and groups, plus ten venue-specific passes to newspapers based around the main venues in London and Weymouth.
In a deal brokered by the NS, the successful applicants will share copy with the rest of the industry in a pooling arrangement similar to the Royal rota used to cover Royal visits.
The pool covers papers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The allocation for Scottish titles is being dealt with separately by the Scottish Newspaper Society.
Reporter and photographer passes have been allocated to the following titles and groups:
Eastern Daily Press
KM Group
Manchester Evening News
Media Wales
Northern Echo
Oxford Mail
The Herald, Plymouth
Reporter-only passes have been allocated to:
Archant London
Bristol Evening Post
Cambridge News
Coleraine Times
Express and Star
Liverpool Echo
North West Evening Mail
Nottingham Post
South London Press
The Argus, Brighton
The Journal, Newcastle
The News, Portsmouth
The Star, Sheffield
Trinity Mirror Southern
Yorkshire Post
Venue-specific reporter passes have been allocated to:
Basildon Echo (Hadleigh Farm – mountain biking)
Baylis Media (Eton Dorney – rowing, canoe sprint)
East Surrey and Sussex Newspapers (Weymouth – sailing)
Fulham & Hammersmith Chronicle (various venues – volleyball, athletics, cycling, marathon swimming, triathlon, archery, beach volleyball)
Herts and Essex Newspapers (Lee Valley White Water Centre – canoe slalom)
Lewisham, Greenwich & Bexley Mercury (Greenwich – basketball, gymnastics, shooting, equestrian, modern pentathlon)
Richmond & Twickenham Times (Hampton Court Palace – cycling)
Waltham Forest Guardian (Olympic Park – BMX cycling, swimming, water polo, handball, hockey, athletics, basketball)
Wembley & Brent Times (Wembley – football, gymnastics, badminton)
Wimbledon Guardian (Wimbledon – tennis)
The access row erupted last September after HoldtheFrontPage revealed that almost no local and regional titles had secured passes the first wave of allocations.
Regional publishing group Newsquest launched a public campaign over the issue while others who weighed in on the industry’s behalf included London Mayor Boris Johnson and Society of Editors executive director Bob Satchwell.
Announcing the new arrangements today, the NS said it had consistently highlighted the need for local newspapers to be able to report directly on the progress of their local athletes and for local papers to be able to cover events happening in their circulation areas.
It said the latest set of allocations have been made by the BOA on the basis of providing “good geographic coverage of England and Wales and also reflecting the interest of the different regional press groups in covering the Olympics.”
In addition to the 39 press passes, the BOA will have access to a limited number of Olympic Park tickets for British reporters and photographers, which will be valid for one day only for the Olympic Park in Stratford from 28 July to 11 August.
There are also a number of facilities for non accredited media such as London Media Centre, the BOA’s press conference room in Westfield, and the Weymouth & Portland Non-Accredited Media Centre.
NS communications and marketing director Lynne Anderson said: “Through their coverage, regional and local newspapers play a vital part in supporting sports in the areas and helping communities celebrate the accomplishments of their local sporting heroes.
“Despite the extremely limited number of passes available for the Olympics, these facilities will go some way towards ensuring that the regional and local press titles are able to cover the Games effectively and that their readers will continue to benefit from the unique knowledge and expertise of local newspapers.”
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Lost interest in Olympics already. Too much talk andf reporting about money, brands, sponsorship. All so deadly dull. Bet some miserable hack will be counting how much each gold medal cost us. Roll on the school sports.
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A positive step forward but very frustrating how the passes have been allocated. At last count we had around 25 guaranteed Olympians in Bath, and that’s before the forthcoming athletics trials, but have not even been considered. Hopefully more thought will be given to the allocation of one-day passes.
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How is that resolved? No one from my paper has agreed to this as full and final settlement?
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Also interesting to note that venue-specific passes for the sailing in Weymouth have been given to those celebrated Dorset publications, the East Surrey and Sussex Newspapers
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My negative attitude towards the Olympics is being shaken by the genuine pleasure vast numbers of people seem to be getting out of the torch relay. I don’t want to be a killjoy so I must be the one out of synch.
Olympic fever has definitely taken root and it is only right that the regional press get the chance to milk that enthusiasm for the benefit of their readers and circulation.
The compromise isn’t ideal but at least it is something.
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I still doubt if the local media will actually offer their readers anything those readers want which isn’t already going to be on TV or in the nationals. Still, it will be a pleasant day out for the reporters even if their readers don’t get anything out of it all.
But why does the Coleraine Times need a pass?!
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NS ‘acted’ at last then…hope there’s some passes for directors now!
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Are there 39 journalists still employed on newspapers?
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Observer, do you really think that that local papers won’t offer anything that the TV or nationals won’t offer? In that case, we all might as well pack up and go home. If my paper had been given a pass (we haven’t!) I would be covering every movement of our town’s Olympians, I would be travelling down to London with their families, and hopefully sitting close to them to see their reactions as they watching their children take part. It’s not really the result we’re interested in in the first instance, it’s the fact a local person is on a world stage, and bringing a medal home for the people who have supported them throughout their career. Would the TV crews be doing all that? For every single GB athlete? Really?
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Couldn’t agree with you more Goldfinger.
PS Want to buy an Olympic Flame holder ?
Going cheap at £35k
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KellyC I’m afraid that even if you had your pass you would be unable to provide your readers the emotionally charged piece you dream of. The pass would admit you trackside – not into the spectator area where all the seats have been sold. You would get a better photo and quotes simply by nipping down to a local pub or club while all their chums are watching the event on TV.
And for a second photo you will get your champion arriving home with their medal and being greeted by neighbours etc.
I’m sorry but my view all along has been that what local journalists have really been angling for is free tickets so they can watch the Games!
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Well at least we’d have the chance to give it a go if we were actually there Observer. I’d rather local papers had a few more passes available as the BBC and PA seem to have hundreds available to them.
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