The Society of Editors chief has hit out at the move, saying: ‘Refusing to engage with a journalist because you object to their reporting sets a dangerous precedent.’
Reporter Eddie Bisknell(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC)
The Reform UK leadership of a council which blocked a journalist who reported on a pensioner’s row with the local authority is being urged to U-turn.
Local Democracy Reporter Eddie Bisknell told how an 81-year-old woman won a legal battle with Derbyshire County Council over a garden fence. But Reform UK’s administration, which runs the local authority, now says it will not engage with the journalist after what it characterised as “a prolonged period of concerns”.
The decision has prompted a backlash, including from the Society of Editors (SoS), which champions press freedom. SoS chief executive Dawn Alford told the Mirror: “Refusing to engage with a journalist because you object to their reporting sets a dangerous precedent.
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“Public bodies must be open to scrutiny, including when the questions are uncomfortable and the coverage is critical. Journalists must be free to investigate, ask questions and hold those in power to account… Cutting off contact with the reporter is plainly wrong and does nothing to resolve those concerns. This matters far beyond one journalist or one story. When a public body shuts out a reporter, it is the public who lose access to answers about decisions taken in their name and money spent on their behalf.
“The Society of Editors urges Reform-led Derbyshire County Council to reverse this decision. Local journalism is essential to democratic accountability, and councils should defend the public’s right to know by engaging openly with those asking questions.”
Mr Bisknell reports for the Derby Telegraph and DerbyshireLive, part of Daily Mirror owner Reach PLC, in a Local Democracy Reporter role funded by the BBC. Derbyshire County Council is majority-controlled by Reform UK, whose leader Nigel Farage has repeatedly spoken out in favour of freedom of speech. The local authority’s deputy leader Stephen Reed reportedly announced the move in an interview with BBC Radio Derby, followed by a press release.
A copy of the press release seen by the Mirror is headed “Reform UK Administration Ends Engagement with Individual Local Democracy Reporter Following Loss of Confidence”. It is described as a “political statement from the Reform UK administration… not a corporate statement issued by Derbyshire County Council”.
The release says: “The Reform UK administration at Derbyshire County Council has taken the decision to end engagement with an individual Local Democracy Reporter following a prolonged period of concerns regarding reporting standards, accuracy, balance and professional conduct. The administration wishes to make absolutely clear that this decision is not an attack on freedom of the press, local journalism or the principle of scrutiny.”
The release claimed the decision had “not been taken because of a single article or individual disagreement”, alleging concerns had “been raised over a longer period”. But in a separate op-ed, Councillor Reed detailed grievances over Mr Bisknell’s reporting on retired teacher Helene Ball’s row with the council.
Mr Bisknell last month told how Ms Ball had won a three-year battle against the council that fenced across a gap in her garden which her family had used as access for decades. Ms Ball took legal action against the local authority after it cemented a metal fence panel in 2023, before Reform had control of the council.
Reach PLC’s regional editor-in-chief for London and East of England Natalie Fahy said: “We utterly reject this attack on our journalism, stand fully opposed to the false claims made about Eddie’s and our editorial practices and urge Councillor Reed to retract his press releases… This ban is an attack on democracy, on the freedom of the press and most importantly on the public’s right to know what goes on at County Hall.”
National Union of Journalists general secretary Laura Davison said: “We urge the Reform group on Derbyshire County Council to get off its high horse and respect the democratic norms voters and local communities they represent expect. We expect nothing less than for the ‘engagement’ ban it has imposed to be lifted immediately.”
Derbyshire Reform reportedly said the move was not an outright “ban” on engaging with local news but that Mr Bisknell’s requests for comment or info will not be responded to. It comes after Reform-led Nottinghamshire County Council last year temporarily banned Nottingham Post reporters in a row. Derbyshire County Council was contacted for comment.
A BBC spokesperson 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.”
