Media organizations meet with NCAA

Hi everyone,

Here's a recap of the meeting with the NCAA Monday. Please feel free to share with as many editors as you can. It was great to get this meeting before tournament time. Please let us know if you continue to see or hear about restrictions, particularly with anything that was agreed to yesterday.

INDIANAPOLIS (March 4) -- Representatives from six major national media groups met Monday with NCAA communications officials for about two hours to discuss the concerns of our organizations.

The following items were agreed to as follow-up steps on the issues of media seating at the NCAA Tournament, uniform injury reporting standards in football and social media guidelines:

>> The NCAA agreed to set up a call with our organizations after the upcoming basketball tournament to discuss the establishment of a permanent working group to address outstanding media issues.

>> The NCAA will include media groups in future discussions with the Division I men's basketball committee regarding the seating of working journalists at the tournament.

>> Editors will be invited to upcoming meetings with the NCAA and conference officials and have the opportunity to introduce discussion on injury reporting standards.

>> NCAA officials said there would be no numerical restrictions on social media posting during its tournament events.

>> NCAA officials will contact the Pac-12 Conference to inform the league that there is no longer a policy limiting by number live tweets during college basketball or football games.

>> The NCAA said there would be no change to existing policies on photo positions at the basketball tournament.

Representing the media organizations were: Tim Franklin, co-chair of ASNE's FOI Committee; Gerry Ahern, president of APSE; John Cherwa, chair of APSE's Legal Affairs Committee; David Bralow, counsel for NAA; Kevin Goldberg, counsel for ASNE; Sonny Albarado, president of SPJ; Jim Brady, president of ONA; and Mike Borland, president of NPPA.

Representing the NCAA were: Bob Williams, vice president of ommunications; Erik Christianson, managing director of external affairs; and Scott Bearby, general counsel.