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PHONE CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN gardaí and journalists, witnesses and other members of the force are among those that were recorded in Garda stations across the country.
RTÉ reports that former Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan, who retired yesterday, sent a letter to Justice Minister Alan Shatter nearly two weeks ago.
In the the letter, Callinan explains that the Attorney General had been consulted four months ago and a working group established to look at the issue.
It goes on to explain that journalists seeking information, members of the gardaí and a witness in an investigation had had conversations recorded and held at Garda Stations.
The letter was sent on 10 March, five days before the Justice Minister went to Mexico. However, a spokesperson told TheJournal.ie that the Minister had only received the letter yesterday morning.
It was then brought to Cabinet, with the Government announcing that they had established a Commission of Investigation to look into the affair.
A Garda spokesperson told TheJournal.ie last night that: “In accordance Garda Siochána Act 2005, the Interim Garda Commissioner will provide a report on the matter to the Minister”.
The issue will be debated in the Dáil today, with Alan Shatter due to deliver a statement on the matter at 10.45.
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The biggest purveyors of misinformation policing it….yay.
@Dere: The state just wants a monopoly on misinformation.
Or at least one a selective release of information.
@Thomas Sheridan: if that was true it would be on the news
Controlling what we see, hear and read because they say it’s false information, but they get to continue with their lies that’s dictatorship.
@Maire Hicks:
I don’t want shady politicians,Irish or foreign, having any say over my freedom to express an opinion! A plague on all their houses,to hell with the lot of them!
@Maire Hicks: What utter twaddle!
@Clyde Bear: no not really, we are all entitled to our opinions whether we agree with each other or not and if I don’t agree with someone I would not call them out as a liar or accuse them of spreading misinformation, but yes there are cases of blatant lies especially governments, and it’s up to us to hear all sides and decipher the truth not to be told what the truth is.
@Maire Hicks: you’ve hit the nail on the head. This isn’t about opinions, it’s about those who insist their opinion is fact even if it’s blatantly untrue. You’re entitled to your opinion but you’re not entitled to insist that opinion is fact.
@Paul C: it’s like that saying “I don’t agree with your opinion but I will defend your right to say it” (I think that’s it).
How does that work when the state itself along with state subsidised media is the biggest source of misinformation and disinformation, for example the blatant lies put out before last years referendums! Still O Gorman hasn’t been held accountable for his lies!
@Jonn: care to provide proof?
The only government lie I know of is “USC will be temporary”
@Termaz FX:
I envy you, you must lead a very sheltered life!
Proper order n’all
Both the ISD and Global Witness are funded by George Soros’ Open Society Foundation. What is it with this guy and interfering in countries’ affairs?
@Chop Chop:
For some reason The Journal is obsessed with promoting the irrelevant opinions of the shady sounding, Soros funded Institute for Strategic Dialogue! Why, it’s just another tentacle of the censorship industrial complex octopus? F@#k the ISD, to hell with them!
The State controls what information you receive. Communism anyone?
@Ulick: Socialism is when the government does stuff, and if it does a lot of stuff, it’s communism!
We will build 40k houses this year, is that not disinformation, but an election?. Who decides what is disinformation anyway?.
@did you every wonder: disinformation is portraying a lie as fact. If the government said they built 40k houses last year that would be disinformation. Saying they will build 40k houses and not doing it is disingenuous.
Yes, there was misinformation. Remember Darragh O’Brien and the gov saying they would build 40k houses. That was MISINFORMATION.
@AnthonyK: no it wasn’t, as commencements were 65k
@Johnny Wilson: what’s the difference between a lie and misinformation. The CSO explicitly said the figure was incorrect
@Johnny Wilson: 65k were started but how many were actually completed?
The far right and their useful id10ts hero want to import their American culture wars shyte here to Ireland. No thanks, we don’t need your lies. Flat earth, anti vax, anti immigrant, george soros obsessed, birthers etc… Ye got soundly trashed at the recent election, ye don’t speak for Irish people.
@FoxyBoiiYT:
You stick to RTE, pal, they won’t steer you wrong, you’re in good hands!
@FoxyBoiiYT: Enjoy your Communist style censorship.
@FoxyBoiiYT: what a sad individual you are
@Jonn: RTE, Dublin centric + bought and paid for by the state. There was a time we could trust them.
It is a matter of some concern that tech firms are lobbying the European commission to punish Ireland (and by extension therefore any other state) for enacting legislation to defend its democratic processes of election to political power at the local and national level thus completely eroding its principle of sovereignty. If Irish law cannot protect its citizens from misinformation, disinformation and the kind of algorithmic targeting used by Cambridge Analytica then what is the point of having the European Data Protection Commission at all?
@Canon: what about the disinformation and misinformation being put out there by the government on a regular basis! Is that ok?
So lies than, or false truths.
Like when MM in front of many in the Dail, tv ,X youtube, etc, called MMcD a liar, and when repeatedly asked if said it and if so ,to withdraw it ..but he claimed didn’t say it?!
“Election Disinformation on Ice” – I don’t think it will be as popular a TV show as it’s dancing celebrity predecessor …
What has this year’s presidential election got to do with it.
The role of the President of Ireland is purely ceremonial, he or she will sign what they’re told to sign.
Why is this an issue?
It’s 1984!
Just stop using cesspools that openly allows misinformation, like Meta and Twitter. Simple.
@Daniel Skelton:
Define misinformation!
@Jonn: X.
@Daniel Skelton:
That’s your answer? Brilliant! Go back to sleep!
@Daniel Skelton: According to the right free speech means we should be forced to stay on Twitter with all the Nazis Elon has welcomed back with one raised arm.
Selby is the most boring man on the planet, but he’s good
We all know they will abuse and manipulate any such laws to silence opposition / critical views. Starmer-style.
@Sickof thisshit: SS in the middle of your name, how subtle
@FoxyBoiiYT: get back on yer meds..
The government being able to control what people see and hear round elections and someone decided to stop that……shocked I am ted just shocked
Hang on, is this the proposed hate speach law that’s been sidelined or is it a different one?
@CryptoWilf: different
I’m not surprised that it is NGOs that were pushing the hardest to get this law passed. They are parasitic leeches that attempt to infuse as much left-wing authoritarianism into our politics as possible. What are are seeing is a Trojan Horse for collectivist ideologies that are trying to redefine what and when people can speak about online. No one has a fundamental monopoly on what is true, yet such a thing was nearly created with this proposed EU “misinformation” law. Why do NGOs push so hard for speech restrictions? They know their ideology cannot compete in the marketplace of ideas and collapses under scrutiny. They cannot win economic debates because free markets have lifted billions out of poverty. They cannot win social debates because their policies destroy communities.
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