New twist in IHSA-IPA pissing match

As was discussed on here a couple of months ago, the Illinois High School Association and the Illinois Press Association find themselves locked in a ginormous pissing match. So much so, that in the last week I've heard the phrase boycott and state tournament on mulitple occasions.

The original dispute stemmed from newspapers, including my own, that were selling photos taken by their photographers at the game. The IHSA claimed this infringed on their contract with a photography firm out of Wisconsin and therefore started denying photographers access.

The first photographers, including my newspaper's own, were denied access to the IHSA state football finals in Champaign. It happened again last weekend at the state cheerleading (CHEERLEADING) championships in Bloomington-Normal, where the IHSA is headquartered. In both instances, photographers resused to sign the IHSA waivers, were refused entry and simply purchased tickets to the event and shot from the stands.

However, a new twist has come about. It seems that reporters will also be required to sign an agreement before being granted entry into one of the IHSA's many winter state finales, which begin in two weeks and run through mid-March. While vague, it was worded so that we could only use notes from the event to "report the news at hand."

The photography battle is, as I preivously mentioned, a pissing match. Two businesses both fighting over money. The funny part is, we make virtually no money from our photo sales (only $2,400 in the two years since we launched the service).

This reporter agreement, however, has me really angry. I'll be damned if they're going to make me sign anything.

 

define news at hand...
you lost me with what you think they are limiting what you can do.

 

yeah, what exactly are these mental midgets trying to limit here?

 

It sounds like the IHSA has an idiot for a lawyer. This treads dangerously close to prior restraint.

 

So wait, somebody covered the cheerleading state championships???

 

I haven't a clue what they're trying to stop. My guess is that they're going after live-blog reporting of games.

 

"Oh, please? Dear? For your information, the Supreme Court has roundly rejected prior restraint!"

 

We don't know what they're trying to limit. Like I said, this is a whole new twist. We probably won't find out until the state wrestling and girls basketball tournaments both begin on Feb. 22.

It could be the live-blogging thing. We started doing that two years ago during the boys state basketball finals and only for that event.

I'll post the IPA letter when I get into the office later today.

 

what kind of pictures were you taking at the cheerleading finals? sickie.

 

Thankfully, it was not I covering the state cheerleading finals. Or the state bowling finals.

 

I haven't seen what Q Man refers to, but the IHSA is also saying a bill a state senator is pushing in Springfield could mean the end of telecasts of the state basketball tournament. Their words, not mine, follow:

"Word has reached the IHSA of a new House bill designed to prohibit the IHSA from enforcing its photography policy. The Illinois Press Association is the force behind both House Bill 4582 and ongoing litigation filed in Springfield. Their leadership wants to characterize this as a "freedom of the press" issue, but it’s not that at all; rather it has to do with their members' profit motives and, in particular, their desire to profit from reselling photos of IHSA events.
"IHSA is not in any way regulating or restricting news coverage of its events or the ability to publish or circulate photos of those events. In a recent letter to the Illinois Press Association, the IHSA indicated that newspapers could give photos to anyone in their communities, provided the photos were used for personal rather than commercial use. The IHSA also indicated that photo galleries on newspaper Web sites could contain an unlimited number of photos from IHSA events. If the newspapers are interested in providing a community service, the opportunity clearly exists. It has become abundantly clear, however, that some members of the Illinois Press Association are more interested in the commercial photography business.
"The bill submitted by Rep. Joseph Lyons has far-reaching implications for our Association and our member schools. First of all, if passed, this bill will likely end our tradition of providing live television coverage of March Madness and the IHSA Boys Football championship games. Each year our television coverage is accessible to millions of Illinois citizens. Our viewership has long enjoyed this coverage, but without the ability to regulate its distribution, it is very likely that we will no longer be able to televise events. Also, it is clear this bill will lead to reducing our services or passing on increased costs to our member schools while newspapers and other news media profit.
"The Illinois Press Association now wants to do an end run around the judicial system. When the judge denied the Illinois Press Association's request for a temporary restraining order in November, he saw through the Press Association's motives and saw the case for what it really is. We are confident that our legislators will do the same."
-- IHSA Executive Director Marty Hickman

I think the IHSA can tell newspapers they can't sell photos they don't print, but it's hard to side with a group taking such a sanctimonious stance.