Declassified, which only launched in 2019, has been doing great work investigating British intelligence, military and foreign policy. However, it has just hit a brick wall, preventing access to the Ministry of Defence, to whom of course, as journalists, they should refer when reporting on such matters, not least to afford the MoD the right of reply.
Three members of our advisory panel are closely connected to Declassified UK, Mark Curtis (who is editor) Matt Kennard and Andrew Feinstein. In the recent case of British soldier, Lance Corporal Ahmed Al-Batati, protesting British arms sales to Saudi Arabia, and involvement in the war in Yemen, Declassified’s reporter Phil Miller contacted the MoD for comment on the story, which he was covering. After a bit to-ing & fro-ing the MoD told him “we no longer deal with your publication.”
This is more than a little concerning given the focus of Declassified’s work, and is improper conduct for the civil service, which must act with impartiality. But it is an example of the creeping corruption of the civil service by the current government. The full story can be read here, on Declassified’s site.