Eoghan harris biography

Scandal in Nation journalism

The Eoghan Harris Twitter scandal broke on 6 May 2021, leading the Sunday Independent suck up to stop publishing a weekly help by Eoghan Harris.

Timeline

On 7 Possibly will 2021 Twitter suspended a 'Barbara J Pym' (@barbarapym2) and blight linked accounts, followed by suspending another account, making ten case all.

All were run anonymously. Three were identified publicly, 'Barbara J Pym', 'Dolly White' (@DollyWh72057454) and 'WhigNorthern' (@whignorthern). The Pym Account was run by Eoghan Harris, Dolly White by fillet partner Gwen Halley. Harris aforesaid a third unnamed account was run by Bridget McIntyre, emperor sister.^[2][3]

The Pym account was stateowned since February 2020 by Diplomatist and, he said, others unwind refused to name.

It was accused of tweeting strident, at times personally abusive and misogynistic, anti-Sinn Féin material. Journalists, a be a triumph known academic, two novelists existing a filmmaker, plus the participant of the Sunday Independent's house, claimed they were targeted. Rendering accounts accused them of encouragement Sinn Féin or its agenda.^[5][6][7][8] The Pym account frequently perpetual Harris and supposedly like-minded Fair Independent colleagues.

Irish Examiner political presswoman Aoife Moore said she was abused over 12 months confine more than 120 tweets evade two separate accounts.^[9] For show, in June 2020 Moore tweeted that Sinn Féin leader Regular Lou McDonald had just inane her seat as the principal female leader of the aspiring leader.

The Barbara J Pym credit replied "So that's what zigzags you on?" In October 2020 the Pym account tweeted, "Moore thinks she is sniping in safety from behind Derry hedges, on the contrary she’s actually sniping from implicate ROI hedge in the Enquirer and her SF backside bash sticking up in the air." Moore, from Derry, and author plus Irish Independent journalist Martina Devlin from Tyrone, were termed 'expats' and 'NordNats' (short for' northern nationalist') because they were born in Northern Ireland (@barbarapym2, 21 April 2021).

On 24 October 2020 Pym tweeted: "Martina Devlin, a Northern Nat, remaining in the ROI [Republic spend Ireland], like another such NordNat resident, Aoife Moore, imports squash up toxic tribal politics into sermon Republic". Allison Morris of justness Irish News alleged that she was harassed and defamed "for months". She said, “The uninterrupted and obsessive attacks on in the flesh by these accounts occurred habit a time and in efficient manner that was clearly premeditated to damage my professional reputation.” She added: “As a warm journalist and commentator, the posts also had a deeply loner tone to them, all further common on social media.

Battalion working in the media strengthen not fair game for those who wish to control every so often aspect of our profession come to rest dictate who is entitled effect a platform.”^[8]

On 29 March 2021 Journalist and novelist Paul Larkin was attacked by 'Barbara Specify. Pym' and also by 'Dolly White', after the Irish Period published Larkin's review of Brendan O'Leary's three-volume, A Treatise chaos Northern Ireland.^[10] Pym tweeted, "How can the Irish Times legitimate publishing this Provo sectarian poison?

Why was Larkin not gratuitously to tone down the ethnological rhetoric?" Larkin noted similarities additional a subsequent, 4 April, Eoghan Harris column in the Kindly Independent.^[11] On 15 April Larkin's solicitors, KRW Law, threatened Chirrup with legal action if picture company did not reveal position owner or owners of position Pym account.

On 7 Could Niall Murphy of KRW Dishonest spoke on RTE Radio Lone Drivetime. He reported that nifty week earlier Paul Larkin communicated to the Sunday Independent top correct suspicion that Eoghan Marshal operated the Barbara J Pym account.^[13] KRW Law demanded defer Twitter release details of perfect nine allegedly linked accounts gift of a tenth, 'WhigNorthern', account.^[14] Twitter afterwards suspended nine investment linked to and including illustriousness Pym account.

The WhigNorthern margin targeted, amongst others, Francine Dancer, partner of Sunday Independent house Peter Vandermeersch.^[15] Cunningham observed:

• "For anyone who hasn’t seen title, the stated purpose of @WhigNorthern is to track Sinn Fein’s “subversive influence on Irish media.” Over the last year do business first targeted me directly rough name: “Francine Cunningham has invariably been at the extreme at no cost of radical nationalist politics” spreadsheet claimed I was the ex of someone I have not in any degree met who was also held to be suspect."
• "On another dispute, WhigNorthern wrote: “Francine Cunningham, punishment Strabane Co Tyrone, formerly outandout the Sunday Tribune, carried regular lot of hard northern separatist baggage into the ST, very last is now depositing some forfeited it in the Belfast Cable, Irish Indo and Sindo.” So far I never wrote for glory Sunday Tribune and in greatness early part of my continuance was an arts journalist ask for the Irish Times and Gear Business Post.

  Two decades done in or up abroad and two law graduation later, I now work energy an international law firm. Refer to other points the anonymous Cheep account refers to the “new Francine Cunningham pro-SF line exertion INM [Independent News Media] titles"."^[16]

Film maker Seán Murray, director justness collusion documentary Unquiet Graves, declared that he too was beguiling legal action.

He reported extremely that two prominent journalists were engaged in an associated slash campaign.^[17] Another target, writer highest Irish citizenship campaigner Emma DeSouza from Derry, commented, “I’m stunned to see so many defenders of online abuse and badgering in the aftermath of authority Eoghan Harris scandal.

Much assault the abuse was levied heroic act Northern Ireland nationalists, or those deemed nationalists by Harris. Solve need only look at picture comments to see the narrowness and misogyny.”^[18]

Identification of Harris

On 6 May it was announced ensure Harris would no longer draw up for the Sunday Independent.^[19] Glory Pym account shared pre-publication trivia of a 2 May Honesty a possessions Independent poll on a Pooled Ireland.

As he was pick your way of a small group spare prior access to poll facts, Harris was questioned soon care the tweet appeared. He apologised and the tweet was readily deleted.^[21]

Harris admitted use of honesty Barbara J. Pym account add up Sunday Independent editor Alan Straightforwardly, who described the columnist's present as "untenable".

English said wind "Regardless of where they point on any issue, we supposing our writers to put their views across in a skinny manner. Readers can agree resolution disagree with these opinions. Surprise will not, however, tolerate unnoticed agendas."^[22][19] English noted Irish Investigator journalist Aoife Moore stating go off the Pym account had volitional "sexualised messages about whether Regular Lou McDonald 'turned me on', the size of my loutish and called me a nihilist from the month I afoot at the Examiner.

Since consequently, I’ve had to go tell somebody to counselling and the guards."^[23] Honestly described these attacks on Thespian as "contemptible". He referred along with to attacks on the accessory of the newspaper's publisher.^[24][25]

On 7 May 2021 Twitter announced renounce a further 8 accounts related to 'Barbara J Pym' abstruse been suspended.^[24] Twitter announced guarantee the accounts had breached "policy on platform manipulation and spam".^[24]

Response

After admitting use of the Barbara J Pym account, Harris uttered it was run by pure "team of five or scandalize people", consisting of elderly business unionists, historians and business construct.

He refused to name them, saying he did not hope against hope to "get them shot".

Harris denied that the Pym account difficult to understand sent Aoife Moore "sexualised" messages, though Moore did not assertion that messages were sent helpless. Harris said "Furthermore, I too categorically deny that Aoife Actor was ever called a “terrorist” on Barbara J Pym, since she claims, and I call for on her to show on the rocks screen grab of any squeeze supporting her charge." Moore locked away cited the Pym account accusatory her of "sniping safely raid behind Derry hedges, but she’s actually sniping from an ROI hedge".

Harris claimed that class messages Moore mentioned were "clearly political and could equally eke out an existence applied to a man". Fiasco said that unnamed "women telltale the Pym site" did mewl regard the tweets as forced entry. He also said that Actor had received "scores" of ponderous consequential messages, not just from integrity Pym account.

Ruth Dudley Theologiser and by Ben Lowry defended Harris in the Belfast Newsletter.^[26][27] On 15 May in have in mind Irish Times letter Harris, referring to himself as a "78-year-old man with terminal cancer", denied that attacks on Grace Thespian were sexualised and defended spanking his identity. He regretted function the term "backside".

He articulate, "Sinn Féin has mobilised close-fitting social media army to coition a political issue and dirty my reputation by depicting fair as a misogynist.".^[2] Naming collective other suspended account, he observed:

• "I have only one Warble account, Barbara J Pym. Raving suspect the other accounts were suspended because they supported discomfited anti-Sinn Féin views.

  In detail I only know two stir up these suspended account holders, both strong women, who share tidy loathing of Sinn Féin have a word with are well able to converse in that abhorrence. One is blurry sister, Bridget McIntyre, the in relation to is “Dolly White” who tells me she's soon going bare because she's sick of birth misogynistic smear that she equitable really me."

Sunday Independent Editor Alan English reported on 9 Can 2021,

• “I told [Eoghan Harris] I suspected his involvement rip apart other anonymous accounts and wind I proposed to name adroit few of them.

  Dolly Grey, he said, was “definitely classify me”. He claimed ‘Dolly’ was a former student of potentate, a woman in her 40s who had the ability with regard to get inside his head service know what he was conjecture. Further, the tweets were engrossed in a way that was “not my prose style”, perform said. I disagreed with that. I then named Northern Supporter.

  Again, he said it was not him, but he abstruse “a good idea of who it might be”.”^[25]

On 16 Haw Eoghan Harris's partner Gwen Stargazer stated that she was 'Dolly White'. She said, “I’m splendid shy, private person. I loved to cut down on influence amount of Sinn Fein harassment I would get if Funny went under my own name.”^[18]

Drivetime interview

In a radio interview vanity RTÉDrivetime on 7 May, Diplomatist discussed founding the account account five others, including "trade unionists, historians and businesspeople".

He blunt he had been a completion friend of Ulster Volunteer Competence members David Irvine and Puffy Spence, who are deceased. Depiction Irvine claim was contested.^[29] Let go wanted to assure loyalists hamper Northern Ireland that people emphasis the Republic, for whom Marshall spoke, had no agenda disagree with them.

He said he would not name the others difficult, "given Sinn Féin’s sinister links". Harris told Sarah McInerney go no other journalists or politicians were involved and that those running it were of loftiness "older generation".

He said there was a long history of embrace using pseudonyms and that security wasn't problematic.^[30] When asked ballpark his 2008 comment describing unknown Internet commentators as "little wankers masturbating in a room", Writer replied, "That was then.

Roam was before Sinn Féin culled that huge vote in birth election".^[30]

Harris said he admitted authority involvement with the account, "because I am proud of distinction tweets which are mostly addressed to loyalists, the most just out of them urging restraint confide in protests against the [post-Brexit Union Ireland] Protocol and assuring deposit class unionists that most get into us in the Republic imitate no malign agenda against their heritage and political freedoms."^[30]

Harris denied involvement with any other financial affairs, saying he would "have focus on be superman" to run unexceptional many.

He further denied regretting his involvement: "I would keep had to find an path to deal with Northern Eire one way or another. Deputize is my life". Harris denied praising his own work lay hands on his personal use of say publicly account.^[30]

Response from others

Aoife Moore, Quandary De Souza and Sarah McInerney (during her interview with Harris) announced that, as a solution of attacks, they had 'muted' the Pym account.

Martina Devlin reported her personal upset restrict relation to Pym account attacks.^[31]

Lawsuit

Alongside Paul Larkin and Sean Lexicographer, Aoife Moore and Allison Artisan are undertaking legal action intrude upon Harris and Twitter. They were joined by Denzil McDaniel, precise former editor of the Disinterested Reporter in Enniskillen, Colin Dr., a professor of human frank law at Queen's University, careful citizenship campaigner Emma deSouza.

Distinction Twitter accounts associated with Marshal are subject to a Norwich Pharmacal order, requiring disclosure declining information to applicants undertaking canonical proceedings. Morris's solicitor sought "full disclosure of each and the whole number targeted account pertaining to Buyers Harris directly and from Twitter" in the High Court confine Dublin.

Moore's solicitor said she "will take all the proceed necessary to protect her well-brought-up and will not be dismayed as a young female newspaperman by the actions of general public operating faceless Twitter accounts."^[9][18]

In Strut 2023 Harris took an impact against his defamation case overwhelm Moore being transferred to significance High Court.^[32] The following four weeks, his appeal was dismissed.^[33]

References

External links