A "shameless" club that kicked out a veteran reporter who reported on "unpaid wages"! Controversy over "refusing to cover the team because they touched on sensitive issues"

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A professional football club that barred a veteran dedicated reporter from covering the team for nearly 20 years on the grounds that they exposed their sensitive issues is facing fierce backlash.

Newcastle Jets, a member of Australia's A-League, recently notified James Gardiner, the chief soccer specialist at the leading local daily "The Newcastle Herald," who had brought public attention to suspicions of unpaid fees and wages by the club, of an official ban on covering media briefings.

Lisa Allen, editor-in-chief of The Newcastle Herald, and Chris Dutton, sports editor-in-chief, exposed the club's unilateral and outdated measures in a statement sent to readers on the 16th.

According to the statement, the incident began with reports made earlier this year. The reporting team, including Gardiner, consecutively reported that Newcastle Jets had habitually delayed and failed to pay amounts owed to local small businesses, partner organizations, and multiple players. The club had signaled its intention to refuse coverage by Gardiner since August last year, and recently officially stripped him of all media access rights.

The expelled Gardiner is said to be a living legend in the local soccer community and a flagship reporter who has received multiple journalism awards, having exclusively covered Newcastle Jets for 20 years since the inaugural season of the A-League (2005-2006) and written thousands of articles. Even this veteran reporter, who had devoted 20 years to the team, was shut out overnight simply because he wrote critical articles.

The Newcastle Herald immediately declared a full-scale confrontation. The media outlet strongly condemned the club, stating, "Even if Newcastle Jets is our official partner, we will not allow any partner to dictate what and how we report," and adding, "Excluding one reporter from coverage is a refusal of coverage for The Newcastle Herald as a whole and a clear act of press suppression."

Criticism has grown uncontrollably, particularly because this measure was implemented just before the start of the A-League men's and women's seasons. Local fans and the community are also casting cold glances at the club's retaliation, which involved ignoring legitimate suspicions and attempting to silence the dedicated reporter.

The Newcastle Herald has stated its policy of not backing down despite the club's petty interference with reporting. The newspaper declared, "While difficulties in the field are expected due to the club's decision, our coverage and monitoring of the Newcastle team will not stop," and added, "We will uphold the journalistic principle of conveying the truth to readers and the community to the end."

Newcastle Jets is also a familiar name to domestic soccer fans. Former national team players Song Jin-hyung (2008-2010) and fullback Lee Ki-je (2015) have played for the club, and it is currently managed by Australian national team alumnus Mark Milligan. In particular, the club has advanced to the stage of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Elite (ACLE) this season, competing with top-tier clubs in Asia.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original