VOA常速英语2007年-International Media Heavyweights Continue to Bo

By Phil Mercer
Sydney
11 November 2007

Australian cricket authorities are locked in a dispute with major news organizations over coverage¹ of test matches. Cricket Australia, the game's governing body, has demanded that news groups hand over rights to all photos taken at matches. In protest, reporters and photographers are boycotting³ the first test match between Australia and Sri Lanka in Brisbane. Phil Mercer reports from Sydney.

Cricket Australia's dispute involves three large international news agencies: Reuters, the French Press Agency and the Associated Press. They provide reports and photographs to newspapers and Web sites around the world.

Every year, an agreement is signed between cricket's governing body and various news organizations. But, this time, the conditions have been changed.

A new clause demands the news agencies give up their intellectual property rights over photographs taken at matches and give those rights to Cricket Australia.

Officials also want the international media to pay a license⁴ fee of nine-thousand dollars to report on games.

Mark Levine, the Bureau Chief for the French Press Agency in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific, says such demands undermine his organization's independence and impartiality⁵.

"Which for us is paying to report the news which for reasons of journalistic integrity and for our client base we simply won't do and neither will the other members of the news media coalition," said Levine.

The news agencies have refused to agree to Cricket Australia's new conditions.

In protest, they are boycotting all international cricket matches in Australia, depriving fans around the world of coverage.

Cricket is Australia's national sport and its team is considered the world's best in the test and one-day formats⁶ of the game.

Opposition⁷ politicians here have described Cricket Australia's demands as "an abuse of power."

Australia's Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, a media industry body, says news about a public event such as a cricket match should be freely available and insists that Cricket Australia is "simply being greedy".

Most local media organizations covered the opening day of the first test last Thursday between Australia and Sri Lanka after authorities agreed to drop their demands, but international agencies were not offered the same deal and are continuing to boycott² the match.

International Cricket Council chief executive Malcolm Speed says he hopes the dispute will be resolved amicably⁸.

A statement by Cricket Australia says it wants to resolve the impasse⁹ "as soon as possible and get back to the business of staging and reporting cricket."

1 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

2 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

3 boycotting   

抵制，拒绝参加( boycott的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• They're boycotting the shop because the people there are on strike. 他们抵制那家商店，因为那里的店员在罢工。
• The main opposition parties are boycotting the elections. 主要反对党都抵制此次选举。

4 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

5 impartiality   

n. 公平, 无私, 不偏

参考例句：

• He shows impartiality and detachment. 他表现得不偏不倚，超然事外。
• Impartiality is essential to a judge. 公平是当法官所必需的。

6 formats   

n.（出版物的）版式( format的名词复数 )；[电视]电视节目的总安排（或计划）

参考例句：

• They are producing books in all kinds of different formats. 他们出版各种不同开本的书籍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A true GUI includes standard formats for representing text and graphics. 真正的图形用户界面包括表示文字和图形的标准格式。 来自互联网

7 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

8 amicably   

adv.友善地

参考例句：

• Steering according to the wind, he also framed his words more amicably. 他真会看风使舵，口吻也马上变得温和了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The couple parted amicably. 这对夫妻客气地分手了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 impasse   

n.僵局；死路

参考例句：

• The government had reached an impasse.政府陷入绝境。
• Negotiations seemed to have reached an impasse.谈判似乎已经陷入僵局。