Thursday 15 April 2010

'Kick amateur journalists out of sport'

A campaign has been launched in Scotland to rid sports match reporting of non-journalists.
AllmediaScotland reports that a letter being sent to newspaper sports editors, 'Kick the Amateurs into Touch' aims "to maximise the number of real journalists reporting on sporting events, particularly football matches".
The campaign has been set up by the Scotland division of the NUJ.
It says: "The campaign has a number of aims: It is an attempt to stop falling standards in the Scottish press through the creeping menace of 'citizen journalists'.
"At a time when industry cuts are affecting professional journalists, we do not want to see amateur scribes covering games that could be done by qualified staff or freelance members of our profession.
"It is a scandal when journalists lose work and are then replaced by non-hacks, many with no professional training or qualifications.
"Every press box this season has had more than a fair share of policemen and teachers acting as 'fans with lap-tops' and it is galling to see living standards of journalists falling when it can be avoided by a simple commission to cover a game."
  • Forget about policemen and teachers what about ex-footballers? Check out former Hull City hero Dean Windass missing a red card while reporting for Sky because he "wasn't concentrating".


Chris Kamara also misses sending off at Fratton Park.

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