Anti-Censorship Series, Vol.5: I Have A Right To Be Angry

The anti-censorship series continues with an impassioned yet heartfelt piece by Carrie Twomey in which she describes how the dishonourable conduct of The Irish News journalist Allison Morris has impacted on Carrie and her family.

 I Have A Right To Be Angry

Carrie Twomey with a piece she put together for Facebook venting her anger at what she considers unethical behaviour on the part of the Irish News journalist, Allison Morris. She explains how it is for a mother of two young children to bear the brunt of what she regards as a malicious agenda designed to mask unethical journalistic practice.

Rant time? Why the hell not. Apologies to my Facebook friends who have no clue what I'm ranting about, but here goes nothing. Those of you who know, will know.

Let's see, my husband Anthony is now supposed to be an misogynistic stalker who is obsessed with Irish News reporter Allison Morris, she of an beal bocht, single working mother and all that, poor Allison, she's a hard life, doesn't she? Let me set a few things straight. I am not a misogynist, I am a feminist, and I AM ANGRY. I am beyond ANGRY and have been ANGRY for way too fricking long.

I am angry as fuck that the subpoenas are a direct result of the pathetic and petty ambitions of Allison Morris who thought she could compete with the likes of journalist Ed Moloney and attempted to scoop what she thought was a story of his by giving her interview tapes to Ciaran Barnes and setting the whole Boston College nightmare in motion.

I am angry because what could arguably be described as my husband's life's work - the oral history he collected for Boston College - has been upended by the subpoenas.

I am angry that his life and the lives of my children have been put in danger because of the subpoenas and that I now suffer from chronic insomnia and depression because of it (and have the GP records to prove it), and live with irrational fear and paranoia.

I am angry because of the stress fighting the subpoenas has brought to my door, and to the doors of all those who bravely participated in the oral history project.

I am angry that we have gone into great debt to fund fighting these subpoenas.

I am angry that my friend and Godmother to my son is now dead in large part because of these subpoenas and I am angry that I miss her and cannot speak to her ever again.

I am angry that she died on the evening of the NUJ hearing in January and that her six month's mind was the same day as the NUJ hearing in London.

I am angry at the devastation the subpoenas have had on people I love.

I am angry that while we have been fighting the subpoenas with every fibre in our beings, every penny in our pockets and on our credit cards, at every opportunity that presents itself, THAT COMPLETE WANKER ALLISON MORRIS got her Editor to threaten to sue us.

I am angry that she did so literally when we were on the bus from the airport to the hotel on a holiday we took to give our children a break from all the stress we're under and that the kids have suffered from.

I am angry that the start of the holiday was taken up with the bullshit of Allison Morris.

I am angry that months later we were still dealing with Allison Morris's bullshit when despite getting what she had asked for - the removal of an article - she filed an unbelievably ridiculous and 'poor me' complaint to the NUJ.

I am angry that the incompetent idiots at the bastion of journalistic wankerdom - the Ethics Council of the NUJ - hadn't a brain cell to rub against anything to spark the sense to toss her harassing complaint at the start.

I am angry that in the middle of the fight of our lives, a landmark fight for source protection, confidentiality and free speech, this ... woman... who boasts about what a great example of journalistic integrity she is, launched a complaint to discredit Anthony, and to add to the stress we're under in order to break him.

I am angry that the PSNI never approached her for her interview with Dolours until after it was pointed out in court papers that they never approached her, and I am angry that last month she was quoting from her interview with Dolours on RTE Primetime and still has yet to be approached by the PSNI - what is up with that? And what kind of journalist does that when that material is at the root of what is being contested in the courts?

I am angry that she brought such misery to my family's door and she fucked off to a stupid football match instead of backing up her malicious complaint against Anthony.

I am angry that she thinks she can beal bocht it, "Oh, I'm a single parent cant justify expense" when she is a full time paid journalist with freelance gigs and yet Anthony has a part time CES job that pays €20 per week more than the dole and slept on a friend's couch in order to be able to defend his reputation from her BULLSHIT.

I am angry that when caught out being the malicious, lying viper she is, she continues to blame my husband and attack his character, and does not own up to her mistakes or misdeeds.

I am ANGRY that we have to take and take and take all of this crap and people like her get away with it over and over as if she is the golden child and all we are is worthless pieces of shit.

And so let me just make clear. It's not Anthony that hates what Allison has done and is doing, though no doubt he would share some of my sentiments, and it has nothing to do with all women, but one: I am LIVID and hate what she has done to my family. And I will not go quietly into the night and I will stand up to whatever else she brings to my door in an attempt to court false sympathy and hide her misdeeds. I am DONE with sucking it up. FUCK HER and the horse she rode in on!