The NBA has cracked down on the New York Knicks for banning the New York Daily News from a post-NBA Draft press conference on Friday. The News, which has long been critical of the Knicks and owner James Dolan, apparently had its reporters banned from participating in a press conference to introduce picks R.J. Barrett and Ignas Brazdeikis on Friday afternoon.
FWIW, The Daily News was not invited to this presser for @RjBarrett6 and @_iggy_braz but every other NYC outlet covering the team was.
Jim Dolan doesn't like the coverage and has effectively banned them from covering the team.
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) June 21, 2019
Outrage soon followed from a number of colleagues in the New York media and beyond, including a number of big time NBA reporters.
The Knicks barred the @NYDailyNews from a press conference? LONG overdue but the league MUST step in and stop Jim Dolan from doing this in what is supposed to be the most open sports in the league in the world. All credentialed media members get equal access in the NBA!
-30 – https://t.co/gm7y3lliIg
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 22, 2019
https://twitter.com/SIChrisMannix/status/1142227952689721344
The Pro Basketball Writers Association also issued a statement condemning the Knicks over the weekend.
“The New York Knicks’ decision to ban New York Daily News journalists from RJ Barrett’s and Ignas Brazdeikis’ introductory news conference Friday was unprofessional and unacceptable. James Dolan, the owner of the Knicks franchise, previously has said that barring Daily News employees from media availabilities sends the Daily News ‘a message.’ In reality, the only message he is sending is that he is a bully who retaliates against legitimate news outlets that publish content he dislikes. Members of the Professional Basketball Writers Association support our Daily News colleagues, and we condemn the Knicks’ attempts to hinder journalists’ ability to do their jobs and inform the public.”
The NBA has media guidelines set up by the league and the Player’s Association’s collective bargaining agreement, among other things, that guide when reporters can have access to team events like Friday’s press conference. And on Monday, the NBA punished the Knicks for violating those guidelines.
The NBA has announced the New York Knicks have been fined $50,000 for failing to allow the New York Daily News to attend its press conference introducing its rookies Friday afternoon. pic.twitter.com/6A6xgpztOj
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) June 24, 2019
The rules here are pretty clear: the Daily News may be harsh when it comes to Knicks coverage, but as long as it’s not breaking the law by publishing libelous content, the First Amendment and the rules of the NBA’s guidelines still apply. It’s clear that Dolan and the Knicks aren’t happy with News headlines and reporters, but they can’t outright ban the organization because they don’t feel they’re being treated nicely enough.
The team released a brief statement following the fine, saying they will follow the league’s media guidelines going forward.
“The Knicks acknowledge that we did not comply with the NBA’s media policy, and made an error in interpreting Friday’s announcement as an invite only event. As we do throughout the year, we have and will continue to provide access to credentialed media as per the League’s policy.”
