NDSU rescinds media policy just days after it takes effect
North Dakota State’s new media policy is no more.
The Bison announced a restrictive athletic media policy for the 2016 season last week that included a prohibition on what would be deemed “play-by-play” by non-rights holding media members via social media channels. The policy also restricted the length of game highlights, pre and post-game reports, press conference coverage and more without a written agreement if the media companies weren’t rights holders either.
Tuesday, that policy got whacked by the school’s president. Dean Bresciani said he wasn’t told of the new guidelines before they were enacted. The school’s director of sales and broadcasting Jeremy Jorgenson had defended the policy by saying the school was “trying to protect our rights holders and protect ourselves” according to the Dickinson Press.
“I was profoundly disappointed when I learned the facts about this issue,” Bresciani said in a statement. “This is not the way NDSU treats local journalists and our many loyal fans who value the breadth of news coverage NDSU enjoys. As the state’s land grant university, our commitment is to access and inclusion in all endeavors.”
The school’s athletic director apologized for his mistake. Hopefully he regrets the ridiculousness of the policy as well as his oversight in not informing Bresciani. North Dakota State has won the last five FCS championship.
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“I erred in not bringing these ideas forward for the president’s review and I regret the damage this has caused to the administration, institution and university community,” athletic director Matt Larsen said.
You can view the media policy here, which is still live on the NDSU site. It mandated all live or taped one-on-one interviews with football and basketball coaches couldn’t proceed without written school approval and 24 hours notice. Assistant coaches for the sports were restricted to one-on-one interviews of less than 10 minutes and were not allowed to take calls from listeners if the interview was on a radio show.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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