THE relationship between sports clubs and the media has been brought into sharp focus in recent weeks with a number of high-profile teams banning local reporters from covering matches.

It’s an odd situation which inevitably develops when the board of directors of a club grow frustrated with what they deem to be negative press coverage and instruct their media department to ‘have a word’ with the offending publication.

This then transpires as a press officer chatting with the reporter he or she deals with on a daily basis — and usually has a good relationship with — in a bid to turn the tide of negativity into some positive headlines.

However, it never sits well with a journalist when they are told how they should be doing their job when, more often than not, they are simply reporting what is happening on the pitch.

The on-going farce at St James’ Park has seen local paper The Chronicle banned by Newcastle United for having the temerity to report a protest march against the club’s owner, Mike Ashley.

Similarly, the Stoke-based Sentinel has been stopped from accessing the press box to cover Port Vale games.

It doesn’t stop there, though, as Nottingham Forest have fell out with their local paper too and there will be many more clubs and newspapers falling out.

However, banning newspapers from covering sports teams achieves nothing and is almost always a short-lived practice as, when results finally begin to improve, the club realises they are missing out on the gratifying headlines they crave.

The bottom line is that clubs receive positive headlines when they do positive things on the pitch. If they want all their coverage to be superlative-laden, then they should get their own house in order.