The situation
Real talk: the vibes at Derbyshire county council are currently rancid. The Reform-led council is officially ghosting Eddie Bisknell, a journalist funded by the BBC to keep tabs on local government. The council isn't calling it a 'ban,' but they’ve made it clear they won’t be answering his questions anymore.
How we got here
It’s giving major 'main character energy' in the worst way. The beef started when the council tried to flex a press release claiming they’d slashed the number of potholes in the area from 12,000 to under 700. Bisknell’s reporting questioned the math behind those stats, and suddenly, the council decided they were done with him. They also took issue with his coverage of an 81-year-old’s garden fence issue that had been sitting there since the previous administration.
Stephen Reed, the council’s deputy leader, claims this isn’t a ban because Bisknell can still attend public meetings. He says they just won’t respond to inquiries because they want 'fair and balanced' coverage—which, lowkey, is just code for 'we only want positive press.'
Why it matters
This is a massive L for transparency. Journalists like Bisknell are literally there to make sure public bodies aren't moving mad with taxpayer money. Natalie Fahy, editor-in-chief at Reach, called the council’s stance 'the worst kind of double speak,' while the Society of Editors and the National Union of Journalists have slammed the move for setting a 'dangerous precedent.' At the end of the day, when a council decides to stop talking to the press, the public is the one losing out on the truth. Say less.
