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Mick Barton, the leader of Nottinghamshire County Council under the Reform UK party, has recently made headlines for banning local newspaper Nottingham Post and its online platform Nottinghamshire Live from engaging with him or any of his councillors. This ban was supposedly instated following a disagreement over a story about local government reorganisation that the publication ran. Additionally, Barton has extended this ban to include BBC-funded journalists working at the publication as part of the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).
In response to the ban, senior editor Natalie Fahy expressed her concerns, calling it an “unprecedented ban.” However, Barton defended the decision, stating that the party will not tolerate misinformation shaping the narrative of their governance. Despite the ban, reporters from Nottinghamshire Live and the LDRS will still be able to attend public meetings, but the council will cease sending press releases to the publication, and interviews or invitations to council events will be withheld from Barton and his colleagues.
Barton emphasized that the ban is not an attempt to stifle journalism but rather to uphold the principles of responsible and honest reporting. He stated that while open dialogue is crucial for a healthy democracy, it must be conducted with fairness, balance, and integrity. Since coming into power during the local elections in May, Reform has been making waves, with Barton being elected to the county council for the first time and later announced as leader.
Nottinghamshire Live editor Ms. Fahy criticized the ban, suggesting that it is an attack on the freedom of the press and the public’s ability to hold elected officials accountable. She highlighted the importance of journalists being able to access information on how taxpayers’ money is being spent. The Liberal Democrats have reached out to Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, urging him to intervene and condemning the decision as “dangerous and chilling.” The ban has also faced criticism from Conservative Party chairman MP Kevin Hollinrake and opposition leader on Nottinghamshire County Council Conservative Sam Smith, who labeled it as an “extremely dangerous step” that silences not only the press but also the voices of residents
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
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