GOLD MEDAL COMMITMENT
In April this year, News Corp Australia will devote our best storytelling resources to covering the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
Our national team of more than 40 journalists, photographers and digital experts will join with our Gold Coast Bulletin news team to provide the most comprehensive, unique and compelling coverage of this important event for the Coast, and for Australia.
We will provide the expert analysis and insights on the winners, the losers and their stories behind the stories. Every day in print, and every minute of every hour online.
But for this Games, we will be doing it differently.
Our teams will be reporting from the stands, sitting among the spectators and fans, and providing real time coverage. Unlike previous Games, we won’t be in the seating reserved for media but among the crowds, and with the families and friends of our athletes.
We are doing it differently because for these Games, we have decided to withdraw from the formal accreditation process imposed by the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games Organising Committee. GOLDOC demands we sign up to an accreditation system that is too restrictive and would prevent us from reporting the Games in the way that a modern audience accessing our content across platforms expects. We are not signing up to antiquated and restrictive rules that are designed to prevent us covering the Games in the way our audiences expect.
These rules would restrict us from showing video highlights in the way Australian law allows us, and restricts our ability to tell the stories of the Games in innovative, new ways that are expected of any news organisation which must provide live coverage of events as they happen.
By not accepting these restrictive rules, we can cover the Games in the manner we believe will give our consumers the best ever coverage of a live event.
Our decision to withdraw from the formal accreditation process does not lessen our commitment to providing the best coverage of the Games. We are totally committed and even more determined to work harder and aim higher than ever before in how we deliver the news to our audiences.
We intend to cover the Games and deliver high-impact reporting. We have an absolute obligation to our readers and advertisers to do so.
Great storytelling will always be at the heart of what we do, we will tell these stories in a myriad of ways, connecting with readers through daily blogs, tailored video segments, social media and through our SKY News and Fox Sports broadcast channels.
Importantly for News Corp Australia, these Games are far more than a 12-day sporting festival.
It is an opportunity for Australia’s sixth largest city to put its best foot forward both nationally and internationally. News Corp and in particular the Gold Coast Bulletin is on that journey and is committed to delivering engaging content across our news, sport, lifestyle, fashion and travel titles in the lead-up, during and post Games.