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Simon Gilbert (journalist)

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Simon Gilbert
Simon Gilbert
Born (1984-06-06) 6 June 1984 (age 40)
Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England
EducationLiverpool University
Liverpool Hope University
OccupationJournalist / Author

Simon Gilbert (born 6 June 1984) is an English journalist and author. He is a political reporter on radio, online and TV for the BBC and has worked on BBC Coventry and Warwickshire, BBC WM, Midlands Today and Sunday Politics Midlands.[1]

Previously, he was the chief reporter at the Coventry Telegraph[2] and a regular contributor to the Daily Mirror.[3][4][5]

He led the Coventry Telegraph's #bringCityhome campaign in the summer of 2014.[6] The campaign played a role in Coventry City F.C.'s return to the city following their exile at Sixfields in Northampton. Gilbert and the campaign were shortlisted at the Press Gazette British Journalism Awards 2014 in the Campaign of the Year category[7] and Gilbert won the Campaign of the Year Title at the 2014 Pride of Trinity Mirror Awards.[8] The campaign also resulted in Gilbert becoming the only regional newspaper journalist in the country to be shortlisted in the Sports Journalist of the Year category at the 2014 British Journalism Awards.[9]

His work was praised in the House of Commons by then Coventry North East MP Bob Ainsworth and the MP for Folkestone and Hythe, Damian Collins.[10]

Gilbert's coverage around the Ricoh Arena fiasco led to him producing a book which documents the history of the stadium project and Coventry City F.C.'s subsequent fall from grace. The book entitled Coventry City: A Club Without a Home: The Fight Behind The Sky Blues' Return from Exile is published by Pitch Publishing and was released in October 2016.[11]

In 2015, Gilbert was awarded Highly Commended prizes at the Midlands Media awards in three categories: Sports Journalist of the Year, Scoop of the Year and Campaign of the Year.[12]

In 2016 he was shortlisted for Business Journalist of the Year at the Midlands Media Awards.[13]

In 2017 he was shortlisted for Sports Journalist of the Year at the Midlands Media Awards.[14]

In 2019 he was shortlisted in two categories at the Midlands Media Awards: Television Journalist of the Year and Radio Journalist of the Year.[15] He was Highly Commended in the Radio Journalist of the Year category.[16]

Notable work

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In September 2014, Gilbert broke a national exclusive which reported English Premiership rugby union side Wasps RFC were in talks to permanently relocate to the Ricoh Arena, in Coventry, from their home at Adams Park, in High Wycombe.[17] The club later confirmed the takeover of the stadium and moved to the Ricoh Arena in December 2014.[18]

In March 2015, Gilbert revealed that long-serving MP Geoffrey Robinson had told party activists he would step down to allow Greg Beales, Director of Strategy and Planning for the Labour Party and a former aide to Ed Miliband, to contest his seat. An email seen by Gilbert appeared to show Beales and Robinson discussing introductions to prominent members of the local Labour party. The email, apparently sent before any announcement of Robinson's resignation, suggested selection of a new MP would take place within two weeks.[19] A second email, addressed to senior members of the local party, was also later exposed by Gilbert. It stated categorically that Mr Robinson would stand down before the next election; it appears the local Labour party was concerned Labour HQ would deprive them of an opportunity to freely choose the next candidate by strongly referencing Beales.[20] A u-turn would appear to have taken place, due to the Coventry Telegraph coverage and Robinson eventually contested and won Coventry North West.[21]

In September 2015, he broke the news that Maryam Namazie had been banned from speaking at the University of Warwick.[22] The story prompted outcry from the likes of Brian Cox, Salman Rushdie and Richard Dawkins and the ban was overturned a few days later.[23]

In October 2015, Gilbert reported from the scene of the fatal city centre bus crash in Coventry which claimed the lives of two people.[24][25] He was interviewed live on BBC News and Sky News as the national media sought clarification of the details surrounding the tragedy.[26][27][28]

Throughout 2016 and 2017, Gilbert undertook a series of interviews for national newspapers on the situation at Coventry City. He provide comment for The Guardian,[29] Vice Sports[30] and the i.[31]

Gilbert's work on Coventry City led to a Parliamentary debate over the off the field issues at the club, and subsequent mediation, between various parties involved in the dispute.[32]

In April 2017, Gilbert appeared on BBC One's Football Focus discussing Coventry City's off-field problems.[33]

Gilbert exclusively revealed details of a leaked letter by Warwickshire Police to the Home Office in reports aired during September 2019 across the BBC. The letter, signed by the force's chief constable and the Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner, talked about the potential collapse of the police force and lives being "put at risk" as a result of the alliance with West Mercia Police being terminated.[34]

References

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  1. ^ "Daily's chief reporter leaves to take BBC radio and tv role". Hold The Front Page. 12 January 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
  2. ^ "Author Page For Simon Gilbert". Coventry Telegraph. 22 July 2013. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  3. ^ "Lazy binmen refuse to empty wheelie bins if they're facing 'wrong way' on collection day". Daily Mirror. 29 June 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  4. ^ "Football fans banned from using brand new railway station". Daily Mirror. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  5. ^ "Man shot in head in daylight attack yards from children's playground". Daily Mirror. 12 April 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  6. ^ "Football League bosses urged to help #bringCityhome as board meets". Coventry Telegraph. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  7. ^ "Finalists revealed for the British Journalism Awards in association with TSB" (Press release). Press Gazette. 4 November 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  8. ^ "Trinity Mirror honours journalistic stars at awards" (Press release). Hold The Front Page. 9 December 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  9. ^ "Coventry Telegraph shortlisted in British Journalism Awards" (Press release). Coventry Telegraph. 4 November 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  10. ^ Bob Ainsworth, Member of Parliament (2 September 2014). "Coventry City Football Club". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). United Kingdom: House of Commons. col. 257.
  11. ^ "Coventry City: A Club Without A Home: The Fight Behind The Sky Blues Return From Exile" (Book). Pitch Publishing. ASIN 1785312103.
  12. ^ "Midlands Media Awards 2015 Results" (Press release). Birmingham Press Club. 11 September 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  13. ^ "Midlands Media Awards 2016 Results" (Press release). Birmingham Press Club. 3 September 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  14. ^ "Midlands Media Awards 2017" (Press release). Hold The Front Page. 21 September 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  15. ^ "Midlands Media Awards 2019" (Press release). Midlands Media Awards. 30 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  16. ^ "Midlands Media Awards 2019" (Press release). Midlands Media Awards. 16 November 2019. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  17. ^ "Rugby club Wasps in talks to buy major stake in Ricoh Arena". Coventry Telegraph. 18 September 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  18. ^ "Wasps confirm 100% shareholding in the Ricoh Arena". Wasps official website. 14 November 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  19. ^ Gilbert, Simon (26 March 2015). "Coventry MP Geoffrey Robinson set to step down after 39 years". Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  20. ^ Gilbert, Simon. "Coventry MP Geoffrey Robinson could go back on decision to retire weeks before General Election". Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  21. ^ Gilbert, Simon (28 March 2015). "Coventry MP Geoffrey Robinson's U-turn on retirement". Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  22. ^ Gilbert, Simon (25 September 2015). "Speaker banned from Warwick University over fears of offending Islam". Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  23. ^ "Ex-Muslim speaker's Warwick University ban overturned following public pressure". Coventry Telegraph. 27 September 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  24. ^ "Coventry Sainsbury's bus crash: At least two dead and more trapped as double-decker smashes into supermarket". Daily Mirror. 3 October 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  25. ^ "Boy, 8, and woman killed as double-decker bus crashes into Coventry city centre Sainsbury's". Coventry Telegraph. 3 October 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  26. ^ "Coventry bus crash on BBC News Channel". BBC News. 4 October 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  27. ^ "Coventry bus crash on Sky News". Sky News. 3 October 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  28. ^ "National TV channels call on chief reporter as bus crash eyewitness". Hold The Front Page. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  29. ^ Taylor, Daniel (5 November 2016). "Coventry City's fingers caught in Sisu sliding door that Saints dodged". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  30. ^ "Stripped, Supplanted, Subverted: The Kafkaesque Fall Of Coventry City". Vice Sports. Vice Media. 30 September 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  31. ^ "Coventry head back to Wembley with their future in jeopardy". i. 30 March 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  32. ^ "Coventry City peace talks under way as government heeds Telegraph's calls for mediation". 24 March 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  33. ^ "Plight of Coventry City featured on BBC Football Focus". 1 April 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  34. ^ "Lives put at risk say Warwickshire Police over West Mercia commissioner threats". 25 September 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
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