Truth above all else

At a time when the National Basketball League is doing everything it can to grow its sport, Cairns basketball administrators are doing all they can to destroy it. This week Cairns Basketball cancelled the Cairns Post’s media accreditation for QBL games. This is the latest attempt to stifle local coverage of the sport and to somehow try and bully us into reporting what they want, when they want it. Cairns Basketball general manager Michael Scott says the move follows two reports, one of them a four-line comment piece, that weren’t to his liking. It is a journey being taken down a similar path as the NBL’s Taipans, of which Mr Scott is also a board member. (The Taipans CEO, Mark Beecroft is also the president of Cairns Basketball and therefore Mr Scott’s boss.) After what can only be de- scribed as a turbulent season for the Taipans in which they parted ways with long-time coach Aaron Fearne after a failure to be competitive and continued to experience financial hardship, the Taipans have now resorted to releasing information in the dead of night to members via email in a bid to somehow stop us from reporting on them.

Those attempts have failed for two reasons.

1. We are journalists and it’s our job to find out stuff.

2. Our readers and basketball fans want us to report on their sport, warts and all.

As a news organisation we are dedicated to covering local news and sport.

We are not a public relations company and there are times we have to ask uncomfortable questions or shine a spotlight on contentious issues. It’s what we do. Sport is extremely emotional and in my experience it is often more political than politics itself. Our coverage of basketball since I arrived in Cairns three years ago has been enormous.

In fact, it has rivalled our readers’ favourite sports — rugby league and Aussie rules.

We invested big dollars into the Taipans when it was on its knees, standing shoulder to shoulder with them through their darkest hours and have provided first-class coverage of the QBL.

There have been tonnes of positive stories published about basketball in this city including profiles, editorials and front and back page splashes.

However, the Cairns Post is committed to fair, balanced and truthful reporting. Any attempts to alienate or gag any of our reporters is not acceptable.

As a result the Cairns Post advises readers we will not be attending QBL games or practice sessions for the foreseeable future. I apologise to our readers who love all that we do to promote their sport, its players and staff.

WE INVESTED BIG DOLLARS INTO THE CLUB WHEN IT WAS ON ITS KNEES, STANDING SHOULDER TO SHOULDER WITH THEM THROUGH THEIR DARKEST HOURS AND HAVE PROVIDED FIRST-CLASS COVERAGE OF THE QBL.