Read on Twitter
quick thoughts on @Irishtimes coverage of #UnsealTheArchive #RepealtheSeal 1. Portraying adopted people’s & public anger at repeated Govt. declarations that records would be sealed for 30 years as a misunderstanding of the bill & Govt’s good intentions https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/no-grand-conspiracy-to-protect-those-responsible-for-mother-and-baby-homes-1.4393548
2. Blaming ‘hurt & upset’ of survivors on survivor/activists & academics protesting the system whereby adopted people are denied the name their mothers gave them and personal data — is to refuse to hear the empowered voices of survivors demanding their human rights.
3. Accusing activists & particularly academics of ‘wilfully’ misrepresenting the Bill and Commission & deliberately & unnecessarily upsetting ‘those people affected’ is not merely wrong (& injurious) but dangerous to fostering informed respectful public debate.
4. sustained & very unusual level of ‘inaccuracies’ in @IrishTimes is troubling e.g. 2004 Act does not in fact seal archives - Magdalene Inquiry wasn’t based on this Act. etc. Failure to ask critical questions-such as isn’t it illegal for Commission to destroy a database?
Good reporters editorialising on behalf of Govt. is a betrayal of journalistic standards — we need them to continue to hold power to account. Coverage in http://Journal.ie and @irishexaminer was so much better.
Finally— we would not have achieved any justice measures won (so far) without the level of engaged & informed debate on @Twitter. I’m looking forward to Irish Twitter continuing to listening & informing each other, debating & critiquing—we have an ongoing job to ensure justice
