Bill Ralston may have once called her the Aunty of the nation, but Seven Sharp host Hilary Barry has not been confirmed as a “bona fide member of the media”, according to international football governing body Fifa.
Barry was denied access to the Fifa media hub, which is required for any members of the media wanting accreditation for the upcoming Women’s World Cup, which kicks off in New Zealand in July.
The presenter shared the message from Fifa declining her application to Twitter. It stated that after reviewing her registration, she would not be granted access to the Fifa media channel.
“The information on your registration form is incomplete or fails to meet our requirements for confirming that you are a bona fide member of the media,” it read.
It continued that the media hub is open to, “professional journalists, news photographers and broadcast reporters working for news organisations”.
The letter requested examples of recent accreditation badges for major sports events in New Zealand, but added, “if you are working for a primary news outlet in New Zealand, we will also consider a staff identification card”.
Hilary Barry|Twitter/Supplied
Veteran reporter and television presenter Hilary Barry was denied access to the Fifa media channel.
Barry joined TV3 in 1993, where she worked as a newsreader and eventual co-presenter of Newshub with Mike McRoberts.
She resigned in 2016 and Mediaworks CEO at the time Mark Weldon touched on some of the stories Barry had covered in her tenure at the network.
“Hilary has covered every major story that has touched the lives of New Zealanders, from the Christchurch earthquakes to Pike River, the Royal Wedding, the America’s Cup, and the death of Nelson Mandela. She is a world class broadcaster and a consummate professional,” Weldon said.
Barry, who currently co-hosts TVNZ’s Seven Sharp with Jeremy Wells won TV Personality of the Year in 2016, ten years after she won the same award in 2006, when she was co-host of 3 News.
Barry commented on her Twitter post that she was not even registering to the media hub for a World Cup match.
”This is to film a three minute pre-recorded segment in the fan zone,” she wrote and added the hashtag #loveredtape.
Barry’s post was met with comments of support for the verteran reporter, with one user commenting, “I’ve often wondered if you were a bona fide member of the media or just acting at it (very convincingly) for decades”.
”Don’t you have one of those old timey press hats?” wrote another.