Access dispute prompts AP to drop CMA Awards coverage

NEW YORK (AP) – The Associated Press has pulled its scheduled coverage of the Country Music Association Awards show on Wednesday due to restrictions that have been placed on still photographers and screenshots of the show.

The cable service refused to accept limitations that the show’s hosts placed on footage of the venue that it said affected its ability to accurately report on the event. The restrictions prevent AP from providing coverage of the ceremony “to its standards,” according to a notice sent to members. The AP will not write, take pictures, or shoot video of the show.

Representatives of the Country Music Association did not respond to requests for comment.

Organizers initially sought AP photo coverage inside the ceremony, but said due to coronavirus precautions they could not accommodate a wire service photographer.

Instead, the association said the AP could pay to license the footage from the show. The PA refused.

The AP said he would cover the show if he could take screenshots of the show, as he has successfully done for the Emmy Awards, BET Awards, MTV Video Music Awards and others. Rather, the CMA said it would only grant permission to the PA if it agreed not to move the show’s screenshots that included the faces of guests sitting in the audience.

The AP insists that if it covers the event, it does so without restrictions on the images shown publicly.

“The AP covers awards shows as current events and we need to be able to assure the public that the information they receive from us is accurate,” said Anthony McCartney, managing editor of Global Entertainment and Lifestyles. “By denying independent news agencies, including AP, access to take footage of a publicly broadcast event, the CMA Awards infringe on the news media’s ability to tell the full story of the event. “

The AP’s decision came after much discussion about access to photos and screenshots. The association said on Tuesday that the ban on screenshots of members of the public would not be lifted.

CMAs have had a tough road to broadcasting, with Lee Brice and Tyler Hubbard of Florida Georgia Line having recently dropped out. after testing positive for COVID-19.

The Country Music Association has also come under fire for a post on social media declaring the show to be “a drama-free zone,” apparently encouraging artists to remain apolitical. The association turned the tide and later declared that it “will welcome the right of every artist to express themselves”.