THE Nine Network has had its Commonwealth Games accreditation suspended after broadcasting footage of Saturday’s opening ceremony dress rehearsal.
The network broadcast footage of the rehearsal on Sunday night in what organisers deemed to be a breach of news access rules.
“Channel 9 News broadcast footage of Saturday night’s Opening Ceremony Dress Rehearsal, which breached News Access Rules and accepted industry conventions regarding confidentiality of Games ceremonial rehearsals,” the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation (GOLDOC) said in a statement.
“GOLDOC expects all media organisations to abide by the agreed rules.
Games chairman Peter Beattie told The Gold Coast Bulletin officials had to take action to protect Wednesday night’s opening ceremony.
“It’s a really important experience for the people who come here, we want this to be a real moment for Queensland, a real moment for the Gold Coast and we don’t want it out there before the night,” he said.
“We just have to make sure we do everything to protect the event itself, the Opening Ceremony sets the tone for the Games and we don’t want to spoil it for the people who are coming or the 1.5 billion people who are going to watch it.
“We will move to protect it I’m afraid, and we don’t like having arguments with anybody … we just don’t want to spoil and that’s why we had to take the action we did.”
In January, international news agency Reuters was banned from covering the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics after it transmitted photographs to its clients of the cauldron for the Games.
The International Olympic Committee also revoked the media accreditation of the photographer who took the pictures.
Nine has apologised and said the release was simply an error.
“We are in discussions with the Commonwealth Games authorities to restore our accreditation and hope to have the situation resolved as soon as possible,” the network said in a statement.
In January, international news agency Reuters was banned from covering the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics after it transmitted photographs to its clients of the cauldron for the Games.
The International Olympic Committee also revoked the media accreditation of the photographer who took the pictures.
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