OPEC has not invited Reuters or Bloomberg news agencies to report on ministerial meetings in Vienna this weekend to discuss future oil policy, according to media reports.
Ministers from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, a group known as OPEC+ that includes top producers Saudi Arabia and Russia, are scheduled to gather on Saturday and Sunday for a regular biannual meeting. The group pumps more than 40% of the world’s oil supply.
OPEC has not offered invites to Reuters and Bloomberg to cover the meeting, the news agencies confirmed.
Two reporters from the Wall Street Journal who regularly cover OPEC have also not received invites, people familiar with the matter said. The Journal did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
“We are disappointed that Reuters has not been invited,” said a Reuters spokesperson.
“We have reached out to OPEC for clarity on the matter. We believe that a free press serves readers, markets and the public interest.”
Without an invitation, journalists will not receive accreditation to enter the OPEC Secretariat where the ministers meet, or attend the press conference at the end of the event, an OPEC source said.
The Financial Times reported in a story on Wednesday that it had received an invite.
