World Sports Journalists Day 2021: “It’s hard to breathe. We must protect our access to sources”

This time we arrive at July 2, a day dedicated to international sports journalism, in a very particular psychological condition: some of us hoped to have come out of the COVID-19 nightmare by now, others still live in fear of the contagion. 

 

Sport goes on, tries to offer hope that the worst is over, but there is no certainty that the storm is over. Meanwhile, our profession is suffering, finding it hard to breathe as if it is affected by Covid- 19, but there are other causes of this suffering.

 

Organisers, federations, clubs are taking our breath away, that is, access to sources. Some limitations are rightly dictated by the health situation, but others are the result of a precise plan that wants to leave us on the sidelines, primed only with press releases, the social profiles of the champions, which are often managed by public relations agencies, and rumours orchestrated by those in power. They also want to cut the number of journalists present at the stadium and then gradually abolish mixed zones. Choking, logically in a gentle way, the freedom of expression in the world of sport.

 

The principles that govern social life are no longer of interest; they just want to exploit the lower instincts of the public. This is why we must react, because if we supinely accept the changes taking place, the new generations will have a grim future and this is not right. Sport is also culture, as is sports journalism, as demonstrated by the success of our AIPS Sport Media Awards. We defend this culture and the future of a clean and educational sport.