OPEC excluded five of the world’s leading news organizations from covering its biennial oil seminar in Vienna, attended by the group’s ministers and senior industry executives, reports Will Kennedy of Bloomberg News.
Kennedy reports, “The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries did not accredit Bloomberg News, despite repeated requests, and offered no explanation for its decision. The New York Times, the Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Reuters were also excluded — widening a ban the organization imposed two years ago.
“Other news organizations were granted access to the conference, which runs Wednesday and Thursday.
“‘We believe that transparency and a free press serve readers, markets, and the public interest, and we object to this restriction on coverage,’ a Reuters spokesperson said in a statement.
“Bloomberg, Reuters, and the Wall Street Journal were also excluded from the same event in 2023, as well as from a meeting of oil ministers earlier that year. Saudi Oil Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, OPEC’s de facto leader, has publicly criticized journalists for their reporting on the group.”
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