I regret to inform you that despite making serious preparations, such as arrangements to take time off work, RiotACT won’t be bringing you our take on the PM’s XI tomorrow having been refused accreditation in strange circumstances. Frankly I found Cricket ACT’s approach to be extremely rude and un-professional.
I’ll outline the saga below, but If you’d like to express your disappointment to Cricket ACT and let them know how much you would have liked to read RiotACT’s coverage of the event I recommend emailing Eddie Fitzgibbon to outline the error of his ways: EddieFitzgibbon@cricketact.com
We could have just bought tickets and headed along, got drunk and written about our recollections afterwards. But we wanted to be above board so stupidly tried to follow correct channels.
It started on 13 October with an email to the contact addresses on their website:
From: johnboy73@gmail.com
Subject: PM’s XI
Date: 13 October 2006 1:26:36 PM
To: sryan@cricketact.com, efitzgibbon@cricketact.comDear Cricket ACT
I’m writing to you as the editor of the website RiotACT ( http://the-riotact.com/ ), we’re a local news and events website based in Canberra with thousands of readers a week.
(our last stats snapshot is at: http://the-riotact.com/?p=3306)
Would it be possible to get media accreditation for the PM’s XI game?
Regards,
John Griffiths.
On the 16 October I recieved a reply:
From: EddieFitzgibbon@cricketact.com
Subject: Media Accreditation Form PM’s XI 2006/07
Date: 16 October 2006 5:34:54 PMDear All
Please find attached the media accreditation form that is to be filled out and faxed back to ACT Cricket on 62957135.
The form will also be available on the ACT Cricket website at www.cricketact.com
Kind regards
Eddie Fitzgibbon
Media and PR
Cricket ACT
We scratched our heads, and agreed on a coverage team after employers were consulted about taking time off. On 1 November, two days before the deadline closed (with no mention of a first come, first served requirement) we faxed off our application forms. Realising that we’re a little bit out of the ordinary I sent a reply to Mr. Fitzgibbon’s email shortly afterwards to check everything was OK with our application:
From: johnboy73@gmail.com
Subject: Re: Media Accreditation Form PM’s XI 2006/07
Date: 1 November 2006 12:31:13 PM
To: EddieFitzgibbon@cricketact.comThanks Eddie,
I’ve faxed over The RiotACT’s applications this morning.
Can you advise if there are any difficulties?
Regards
John “Johnboy” Griffiths
RiotACT Editor.
And I got a reply:
From: EddieFitzgibbon@cricketact.com
Subject: RE: Media Accreditation Form PM’s XI 2006/07
Date: 1 November 2006 12:29:51 PM
To: johnboy73@gmail.comJohn
Received the applications and you will hear from us soon.
Cheers
Eddie Fitzgibbon
Media and PR
Cricket ACT
And then silence.
From: johnboy73@gmail.com
Subject: Re: Media Accreditation Form PM’s XI 2006/07
Date: 8 November 2006 10:15:11 AM
To: EddieFitzgibbon@cricketact.comHi Eddie,
Can you advise on the status of our application?
Cheers,
John
More silence.
So, with the day hard approaching, I made a phone call this morning and while Eddie was too busy to speak to me I got put onto Andrew. Andrew advised that our application had come in very late (It was in before the deadline and it wasn’t a problem for Eddie on 1 November). He advised that we had not, after all, received accreditation.
I asked at what point Cricket ACT had intended to inform us that they had rejected our application (the application form simply noted that our passes could be picked up at the door, a lovely way to spend a morning if I hadn’t thought to call and check). Andrew said that *he’d* been told that organisations that hadn’t received a reply had not been given accreditation.
It seems that we’re supposed to be able to read Andrew’s mind from a distance to get that information.
I respect that Cricket ACT might not want RiotACT’s coverage. I understand that room is tight.
(I should note that all we wanted was access to the ground to take notes and photographs and make a report, a powerpoint would have been nice but not essential, we would happily have forgone the media rooms)
But a little more honesty and courtesy could have saved us wasting a lot of time.
That email address to share your thoughts on the matter with them?
EddieFitzgibbon@cricketact.com
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