What's behind Irish media silence on vaccine harm?

Those suffering vaccine injuries deserve recognition

It’s a little over one year now since I lost all my work as a reporter for a national Irish newspaper. It was a work from home gig, full time, freelance, reporting general news. It started in October 2021 and ended abruptly, three months later.

Prior to the closing of the courts in 2020, I was reporting on inquests at Dublin Coroner’s Court (freelance). It was clear to me from the start, that the reportage on covid 19 was, not quite right.

Being let go was not entirely unexpected. I’d hoped I could break through the strange code of silence around covid 19 vaccine safety. There had been a disagreement with a news editor when I pitched the story of a medical student in Waterford, who had a serious injury post vaccine and required help.

This young lady had been vocal on social media about her situation. Some days she couldn’t walk.

“I do not want antivax stories in my newspaper,” was the editor’s reply.

It was nearing the end of 2021. The vaccine roll out was complete. The booster campaign was ramping up.

We had a back and forth, myself and the editor.

But those having reactions were my concern. If we, the media shun those suffering as acceptable ‘collateral damage’, who will tell their stories? How will they access help? Do they not deserve to be heard?

“Feel free to pitch it to another newspaper Louise. On your own time obviously,” was the reply.

The editor emailed again to clarify that the paper’s position was with the government and NPHET and it would never print anything that would put someone off taking ‘a vaccine that will keep them alive.’

I thanked the editor for that correspondence and replied:

“As I see it, it's our job to question the government & NPHET on this - and all topics.”

The editor pointedly informed me that being vaccinated was ‘a damn sight better than getting covid 19’ and I should ask anyone that had lost someone to this ‘brutal pandemic.’

I don’t actually know anyone that died due to covid 19. I knew of multiple cases of elderly and infirm deaths classified as covid 19 following a positive test. But I also knew of multiple cases of patients testing positive incidentally on arrival in hospital for treatment for other conditions.

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In any case, there was no way through.

Prior to this I’d been attempting to break through the dominant force of fearmongering associated with covid and latterly, on vaccine safety, as a freelance.

I pitched multiple stories to editors in pretty much every single newspaper in the country on topics such as excess deaths, inflated death figures, whistle-blower nurses raising vaccine concerns, vaccine safety questions and vaccine injuries.

Besides this story published in the Sunday Times and Sunday Independent in April 2021, all of these story pitches were shot down.

The response from the news editor is helpful in that it at least sheds some light on the situation. The media was ‘taking the government and NPHET’s line’ and nothing else was acceptable. I don’t know why the media took this line. Could it have something to do the money these outlets earned during the covid years, pushing HSE and government advertising? Perhaps the blanket positive vaccine coverage may be linked to supply contracts for these products? Since much of that information is confidential, we simply do not know.

( Reuters ):

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Ombudsman is investigating the secrecy with which the European Union’s executive is handling COVID-19 vaccine supply contracts, it said on Friday.

The EU has spent about 2.5 billion euros ($3 billion) on downpayments to secure nearly 2.3 billion doses of COVID-19 candidates and approved vaccines from six companies. The pricing, delivery terms and other key clauses are confidential.

“We have just opened an inquiry into the Commission’s refusal to give public access to documents concerning the purchase of vaccines against COVID-19,” a spokeswoman for the EU Ombudsman said.

I’ve been interviewing people with injuries post vaccine since the summer of 2021. These were stories from people whose lives had been turned upside down, physically, emotionally and financially. In addition, they were treated as pariahs by family and by the medical system and they were punished further, due to the government’s imposition of vaccine certs for access to restaurants and bars. Because many could not take a second shot, they could not even meet a friend for coffee. It was a despicable predicament for people who had done what they believed to be their civic duty, to take a vaccine as they had been told to, by the government, health officials, the media and their employers.

Often these interviews would take more than an hour and yet come to nothing. Invariably, the injured interviewee would decide they did not want their story published, for fear of being ostracised among friends, family, neighbours and work colleagues. They feared if they spoke up, they might face backlash from the medical system, upon which they were dependant for tests and treatment.

Some weeks after my correspondence with the editor this story appeared in the Drogheda Independent, by Alison Comyn, featuring Eithne Branigan, from Co Louth.

A few weeks later, all contact from the newspaper I was working for ceased. I was never told I was fired, nor let go, or told there was not enough work. Just quietly removed from the roster. And never contacted again.

Last week, we had a breakthrough in the British press.

This was followed on St Patrick’s Day, by a speech from British MP Andrew Bridgen delivered to an empty House of Commons that was removed from You Tube and subsequently reinstated.

Andrew Bridgen @ABridgen

Pleased to see that after such a large public outcry my speech has been reinstated on YouTube. Power does rest with the people, a salutary lesson for our self appointed masters.

youtu.beEfficacy of the mRNA covid-19 booster, 17 Mar 2023Andrew Bridgen MP, leads an adjournment debate on the efficacy of the mRNA covid-19 booster.

Mr Bridgen said he received ‘hundreds and hundreds of emails’ from all over the world from people recounting stories of harms post covid vaccination.

“Not one media organisation wanted to talk about the issue of serious harms or death occurring as a result of the mRNA vaccines. Mr Deputy Speaker, I fully expect they will show the same level of disinterest in today’s debate.

“A scattering of reports are now appearing in the mainstream media. Sadly the number of people affected in the UK and across the world cannot be ignored or hidden indefinitely,” Mr Bridgen said.

Here in Ireland, in response to a query from this Substack, the State Claims Agency confirmed it has received 13 injury claims connected to Covid-19  vaccines. Senior level barristers have indicated that due to the scale of the vaccine roll out, those taking cases for injuries arising from vaccines will face a monumental battle.

Tomorrow, I will publish the first of a series of stories from vaccine injured people on this Substack. The aim is to break through the silence, offer recognition and support and initiate acknowledgement from public health authorities and the State, for the situations these people endure.

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Warm thanks to those of you supporting my work, it is much appreciated.

Previous posts on this topic:

Coroner seeks vaccine trial data from pharma giant Pfizer

Senior medics talk vaccine harm as boosters plummet to 2%