Bugger.
A Reform council blacklisted a reporter, leaving him “unable to perform the basic functions” of journalism.
On Tuesday Stephen Reed, the deputy leader of Derbyshire county council, announced that the authority would “end engagement” with Eddie Bisknell, who writes for Derbyshire Live and other local outlets as a BBC-funded local democracy reporter.
Reed said there had been “a prolonged period of concerns” about Bisknell, particularly “the way he has conducted his stories and the way he writes a particular narrative”.
He also accused Bisknell of giving the council only four hours to comment on an article about Helene Ball, an 81- year-old who won a dispute against the council and then had two concrete blocks placed outside her home.
Reed retracted the claim after Derbyshire Live published a screenshot of Bisknell’s approach, sent almost 24 hours before publication, but reiterated his other concerns. Writing for The Times, Bisknell said the restrictions were “an unwarranted and unwelcome speed bump” to public service journalism.
He said: “Not all coverage involving politicians is going to be to their liking; that comes with the patch. But it is a time-honoured expectation and a right within a democracy that scrutiny of the actions of elected officials is allowed to continue unhindered and for the greater good ... Without the ability to properly challenge potentially false information, behaviour and accusations, I am unable to perform the basic functions of my job.”
Natalie Fahy, who runs several outlets for the publisher Reach including Derbyshire Live, said the publication stood “fully opposed to the false claims” made by Reed.
Alex Dale, the leader of Derbyshire’s Conservative councillors, called the blacklisting an “attack on the freedom of the press”. Rebecca Paul, the shadow culture secretary, accused Reform of showing “a total disdain for a free press”. A Labour spokesperson said the decision was “outrageous”.
The BBC said: “Independent journalism is vital to local democracy, and journalists must be free to question those in power without fear of reprisals. We urge both sides in seeking a resolution.”
Reform’s Derbyshire branch said the decision was not “an attack on freedom of the press, local journalism or the principle of scrutiny ... It is precisely because we believe a free press is so important that we believe journalists must be held to the highest standards of fairness, accuracy, balance and professionalism.”
Derbyshire county council and Reform were approached for comment.