APSE, MLB Near Agreement On Credential Restrictions

MLB Nearing Deal With APSE Over Credential Restrictions

MLB, after almost six weeks of negotiations, has "delivered a credential agreement that may be satisfactory to the majority of the APSE's membership," according to John Cherwa of the APSE. While sports editors had said that their "major issue with the proposed 2008 credential agreement was the restrictions on photo galleries," the latest credential places "no restrictions on galleries except that it be a 'reasonable' number of photos." The APSE believes that this is a "significant development that meets the needs of members and recommends that the credential can be signed conditionally," until further negotiations likely to be held near this year's All-Star Game. APSE President Mike Fannin "believes it is the best deal" the group could make at this time. Fannin: "We believe this is an important victory for our right to bring fair and balanced coverage to our readers both in print and online. But it is not a total victory and we will continue to fight anything that includes any restrictions. There remains no evidence that more media is bad for anyone's business." While the credential is "more favorable to photos, there remain strict guidelines on audio and video." MLB "held to its 120 seconds of audio and 120 seconds of video with an archival time of 72 hours." APSE believes that the restrictions are "unacceptable in the long term and ... will likely be the focus of the next negotiations." Cherwa noted MLB has said that there are "no restrictions on press conferences other than they can't be streamed live" (APSE.DALLASNEWS.com, 4/8).