Bears coach John Fox and GM Ryan Pace have instituted new training camp media policies that "affect the 15 days of training camp before the second exhibition," according to Ed Sherman of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE. Television stations and photographers "won't be allowed to shoot any video or photos during team drills." They can "shoot stretching and individual position periods, but even then the Bears request the cameramen 'shoot tight.'" Reporters also cannot "blog or tweet any 'team strategy or injury specifics' during practice." There will be no player availability off the field after practice, and reporters "now have to put in a request for an interview." Following the second preseason game, "normal regular-season regulations go into place." Bears VP/Communications Scott Hagel said that the arrivals of Fox and Pace "are 'part of the reason' for the shifts in media policies, but not all of it." Hagel: "The Internet is not like it was 10 years ago. It's a different world. It is easier to see and gain access to certain things. We want to make sure we're smart with what we're doing." Hagel added that the Bears previously had "allowed more access during training camp than other teams and that the new media policies bring them 'closer to center' with the rest of the NFL" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 7/31).
LITTLE GIANTS: In Albany, Pete Dougherty reported MSG and MSG+ will produce "Giants Training Camp Live," a "half-hour daily show on the NFL team" that will air at 6:00pm ET daily from Aug. 3-Sept. 1. The show will air "live from the Giants’ practice facility, Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, N.J., and include training-camp footage and interviews with players, coaches, and reporters" (TIMESUNION.com, 7/30).
