Yes, the media have become too invasive at the competitions. I believe that we reach that point when the presence of the media affects the play and outcome of the matches. And we are already there.
In at least one match at the Championships, the boom camera actually struck a robot, and knocked the 2X ball out of the robot's grasp. The alliance eventually lost that match. They could have made a reasonable argument regarding external interference, but chose not to do so.
The current practice of "free-range media" has an effect on the game in other ways as well. Because FIRST doesn't restrict their movements, the media members congregate at the front and sides of the field, where they can get the best views (and camera images) of the game play. But (as noted above) by being there, they consistently block the view of the field by the scoring table, the officials, and the audience. This has a direct impact on the ability of the officials to do their jobs, and the ability of the audience to observe the game.
Plus (and this is my real peeve), allowing cameras at the front of the field enables the media to get great close-up shots of the game - but almost every one of these images is horrible for FIRST. Right now, the media show wonderful images to the rest of the country of games in front of black curtains or backgrounds of empty seats. This sends the message to the audience that this really ISN'T a spectator sport, and it never will be. This is exactly what FIRST does not need. Consider the following:
To me,
this photo, taken from the front side of the field, says "hey, nice game going on in the middle of the field, but it can't be all that important. Look at all the empty space behind the field, and the few people just lined up against the black curtain looking around. And behind the black curtain there is just a lot of empty space with nothing interesting. Yeah, the people playing the game are excited, but there is hardly anyone else to care."
Conversely,
this photo, taken from the back side of the field, says to me "hey nice game going on the in the middle of the field. A lot of people in the audience, watching the game. And they are paying a lot of attention to whatever is going on - so this must be important!"
The solution to all three of these problems is simple: restrict media to the area between the back of the field and the black curtain, in the zone where teams stage for upcoming matches. This gets them out of the way of the officials and the audience, but still allows the media to have an excellent view of the game. It keeps them far enough back from the field that interference is unlikely (or at least less likely). It allows them to conduct quick spot-interviews with teams about to take the field (making for great "before-and-after" stories). And it allows (even forces) them to get shots of the game
with a real, excited audience in the background! This is the type of image that FIRST wants to get out to the rest of the country, and the type of image that is necessary for the "unwashed masses" to become interested in what we are doing.
-dave