AIPS

INTERNATIONAL SPORTS PRESS ASSOCIATION (AIPS) CRITERIA FOR ONLINE MEDIA

1. A website can apply for recognition and acceptance by AIPS with the identity and statute of

- An independent "stand alone" website or

- An extension within an existing multimedia-company (newspaper, magazine, TV)

2. The website must have the position and structure of an independent (unit of a) company with legal liability for the editor.

3. The OMNISPORT website should be recognized and registered as a real and full journalistic medium by its official national general journalists organization and/or their legal authorities ruling media affairs.

* A MULTISPORT or MONOSPORT specialist website must be recognized by his national/international sports federations. Specific and/or additional regulations should be negotiated between AIPS (or its AIPS-continental section) and the different international sport associations/federations.

* The website should be fully operational and online following the regulations for at least two years. Newcomers can apply for exception through their National Sports Journalists Association.

* The website must produce and be online 24h 7/7.

* In its production the website has to offer by far the most proper content at professional level. All not proper produced content - even edited - must (also) mention the original source.

* Sites which function mainly as pass-through-site for edited copy/paste-content cannot be recognized as a press medium.

* Fan-sites, sponsor-sites, promotional sites and event-linked sites cannot be recognized as a press medium.

* Blogs are accepted as public journalism when they function integrated within a recognized journalistic media.

* The website should only use officially paid news-sources (agencies, professional freelancers, trainees) as legal providers for their content (text and photos). Other sources can only be used if official recognized ones are not available. In that case the alternative source must clearly be identified as such.

* The editors, who exercise final control on all copy before screen access, must be recognized professional journalists.

* The website should have the input of officially recognized professional journalists as determined for each continent/country by AIPS (or an AIPS-continental section). Newcomers can apply for exception through their National Sports Journalists Association.

* The website should have an audience or impact on the level of the circulation of the national newspapers in their country. If possible they must have their number of hits/visitors officially registered and controlled as determined for each continent/country by AIPS. For Specialists sites the relevance must be certified by the national/international sports federation and the National Sports Journalists Association.

* The visible commercial/promotional support surrounding news items should not disturb/dominate optically and/or volume-wise the related journalistic content.

* A website which does not fulfil the criteria for recognition by the AIPS can apply for a "Guest of the Press"-status with limited access and work-facilities on a specific sports-event.

Faisal Jamal

secretary

sportswriter association of malaysia (SAM)