Prada claims ETNZ tried to ban journos who write bad things about them

Another row has erupted between America's Cup defender, Emirates Team New Zealand, and Challenger-of-Record Prada.

According to Duncan Johnstone, writing on the Kiwi website Stuff, Prada said Team New Zealand had wanted to exclude specific journalists from the media centre which it runs, and that clashed with Prada's views on freedom of the press.

As sponsor of the pre-Christmas regatta and the Prada Cup challenger series, the Italian fashion giant has asserted its right to run the media centre and accreditation.

“Team New Zealand threatened to not accredit some journalists on the grounds of what has been written about them,” a spokesman for Prada told Stuff. “They (Team New Zealand) feel very strongly about that,” he said.

“Prada wants to preserve the freedom of the press and has therefore taken the decision to run this (accreditation) procedure independently, in order to guarantee a fair and unbiased screening of the applicants, regardless of their opinions and based exclusively on strict professional criteria and/or for security reasons,” said the company in a statement

A spokesperson for Team New Zealand said it had given examples of whom it thought should be given priority, but had not threatened to deny accreditation.

Read the full story at Stuff.

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