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Middlesbrough Gazette at war with football club

The Middlesbrough Gazette have accused the local football club of ‘unacceptable’ reporting restrictions.

Reporter Dominic Shaw was apparently told that he could not interview manager Garry Monk after the pre-season friendly at Mansfield.

The paper say that another Gazette journalist was allowed to talk to Monk but they took the decision not to publish. 

In a statement on their website, the Gazette said: “As an independent publisher, we simply cannot allow any organisation to apply restrictions on our journalism by dictating which of our staff they are happy to field questions from.

“In June the club made clear Shaw and Jonathon Taylor were not welcome at Monk’s Rockliffe Park unveiling. No proper explanation has been provided despite repeated requests from The Gazette for clarification on the reasons. It is now clear the club does not wish its employees to engage with certain members of our staff.

“As it stands and under the current conditions, The Gazette will not interview the manager or players. We will of course continue to attend all matches and provide our usual mix of news, comment and analysis.”

The paper finishes off by wishing new boss Monk and the players good luck for the season.