FC Cincinnati has temporarily revoked local reporter Laurel Pfahler's press credential following a dispute over her coverage of some of the club's player transactions, sources told ESPN.
The MLS club made the decision a week ago to revoke Pfahler's credentials for two weeks. Pfahler, who writes for Queen City Press, communicated the suspension to his readers two days later.
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FC Cincinnati responded with a statement attacking Pfahler's professionalism. It said in part that Pfahler “has not acted in accordance with the standards and practices of the Society of Professional Journalists and the MLS Notice of Conditions of Use of Credentials. He refuses to accept responsibility for his actions, despite multiple conversations and attempts to work together. “To forge a productive relationship between her and the club. Out of professional decorum, we will not share the details publicly.”
Pfahler responded with a statement own, accusing Cincinnati of “bullying.” The statement also read in part: “I strongly disagree with the statement that I violated any journalistic ethics or MLS credentialing guidelines.
“Last week, when I asked for examples of why I had a lot of credentials, I was told three situations where I spoke to sources outside the facility or with team-approved interviews. I don't think simply talking to sources within the team is the way to cover a professional franchise.”
According to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the situation, Cincinnati took issue with the accuracy of Pfahler's reporting related to several player transaction stories. Those sources requested anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the situation.
The sources added that among the Pfahler stories that the club took issue with focused on Alvaro Barreal's recent loan to Cruzeiro of the Brazilian Serie A, in particular Pfahler's report that Barreal's departure was not due to I was not happy in the club. The team also took issue with Pfahler not contacting them to verify aspects of the transfer stories.
The sources also indicated that the terms of use of credentials that Pfahler allegedly violated center on Section 12, which states that: “The bearer agrees not to create, transmit, display, distribute, exploit, misappropriate or sell (or assist in such activity) any description or account (in any format, whether text, data or image, including, but not limited to, play-by-play data) of the Event for any commercial, non-personal purpose.
Cincinnati believes Pfahler violated the misappropriation portion of any description or account, sources said.
MLS declined to comment when contacted by ESPN.
North American Soccer Reporters (NASR), an advocacy group representing the interests of journalists covering the sport in the region, met twice with MLS officials in an attempt to negotiate a resolution.
NASR told ESPN that the Society of Professional Journalists had informed it that “We are not aware of Cincinnati attempting to use our guidelines as a mechanism to deny access to a journalist. We do not encourage or condone the denial of press credentials to journalists who “they carry out activities themselves professionally.”
Pfahler has covered FC Cincinnati, winner of last year's MLS Supporters' Shield, since its first season in the USL Championship in 2016. He also covers the Cincinnati Bengals independently for the Dayton Daily News. He has also written for ESPN, The Athletic and WCPO.com.
Pfahler's credential is scheduled to be restored in time for the March 23 home game against New York City FC.
“The North American Soccer Reporters respects and understands the right of clubs to deny credentials when appropriate, whether these credentials are sought within MLS or any number of other leagues on this continent covered by our membership,” the NASR said. in a statement to ESPN.
“However, we are disappointed by FC Cincinnati's lack of transparency regarding the reasons for its denial of Ms. Pfahler's credential and, to date, our own efforts by the Executive Board to obtain information regarding the decision to FC Cincinnati accreditation have been met with silence, despite requests for dialogue and information.
“The NASR understands that Ms. Pfahler stands by her reporting, which makes the need for a transparent dialogue and response from FC Cincinnati even more important. It is up to the clubs, not just our member journalists, to maintain the public's trust.” , and that FC Cincinnati has not done so during this situation is discouraging.
“Finally, the NASR board is extremely disappointed by the recent statement released by FC Cincinnati defending its decision to deny credentials to Ms. Pfahler. The statement contains many allegations, including the unsubstantiated claim that Ms. Pfahler violated the MLS Credentials Conditions of Use Notice, along with the inaccurate claim that Ms. Pfahler violated ethical standards established by the Society of Professional Journalists.
“Given FC Cincinnati's reluctance to discuss its decision or support its claims with our Executive Board or Ms. Pfahler, FC Cincinnati's statement was premature and ill-advised. As the statement impugned the integrity of an immensely respected journalist, it should be removed from the FC Cincinnati Website immediately before further damage is done to Ms. Pfahler's reputation.”
