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InvestigatesImpactLAST UPDATE | 24 Mar
THREE PROJECTS BY The Journal and its investigative platform The Journal Investigates have been nominated for the prestigious Mary Raftery Prize.
The prize is awarded annually to an individual or small team responsible for social affairs journalism produced in Ireland.
Of the five nominees on the shortlist, two are investigations carried out by The Journal Investigates, while The Journal received a nomination for journalist Saoirse McGarrigle’s work in highlighting the experiences of victims of prolific paedophile Micheal Shine.
Órla Ryan has been shortlisted for her investigation ‘Falling Through the Cracks: Are young people with psychosis getting the help they need?’.
Órla’s investigative series exposes how young people with psychosis are being forgotten by the Irish healthcare system. It was supported by the Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism in partnership with Shine’s Headline programme.
Patricia Devlin has been shortlisted for her series ‘Wild Not Free: Is inaction on wildlife crime further threatening vulnerable species?’.
Patricia’s investigation not only uncovered the brutal exploitation of wildlife, but also highlighted systemic gaps in enforcement of wildlife crime. Over the course of eight months, she carried out extensive undercover work to monitor and record the activities of illegal hunting networks operating across the country.
Órla and Patricia’s respective investigative series were overseen by editor of The Journal Investigates, Maria Delaney.
She said the nominations “demonstrate the commitment of the investigative unit to social justice and public interest journalism”, and added:
“Órla, Patricia and our wider team dedicated significant time and resources in order to undertake this reporting. It is thanks to the supporters of The Journal that we are able to publish such work as we are funded by readers’ contributions.
“Thanks also to everyone who participated in each series, without which we wouldn’t have been able to bring these issues to light.”
Saoirse McGarrigle’s nomination for the prize comes from her work on keeping the stories of men sexually abused by former surgeon and convicted paedophile Micheal Shine alive within the public sphere.
More than 360 men have reported being sexually abused by Shine. Saoirse has interviewed survivors of his abuse, many of whom spoke out for the first time, as they call for a public inquiry into the state’s handling of the case.
Editor of The Journal, Sinéad O’Carroll, said: “It is an honour for our journalists to be considered a part of Mary Raftery’s legacy. Saoirse McGarrigle is, like Mary Raftery always was, compassionate but dogged in pursuit of truth and justice.
“She has centred the voices of Michael Shine’s victims while questioning the decisions and actions of the State and those in power.
“To be shortlisted for this prize is welcome recognition that this work needs to continue.”
The Irish Times has also received two nominations.
The full list of shortlisted nominees for the Mary Raftery Prize 2024 are:
The Journal and The Journal Investigates (formerly known as Noteworthy) have won the Mary Raftery Prize on several occasions previously; last year, both scooped prizes as the winners for 2022 and 2023 were both announced.
The Journal’s podcast Redacted Lives, which was produced by Órla Ryan, Nicky Ryan and Sinéad O’Carroll, won the 2022 Prize.
Calling Time, a Noteworthy investigation which revealed how the human rights of children of prisoners were not being fulfilled, won the 2023 Prize – it was written by Alice Chambers and Maria Delaney.
The 2020 Mary Raftery Prize was won by Peter McGuire for the Speak or Survive series on the institutional challenges faced by sexual violence survivors. It was published on The Journal and Noteworthy (now The Journal Investigates).
Mary Raftery, a renowned investigative journalist, is best known for her documentaries States of Fear and Cardinal Secrets which detailed the sexual and physical abuse suffered by children in reformatories, industrial schools and similar settings.
The Prize, eponymously named in memory of the groundbreaking journalist following her death in 2012, consists of a medal engraved with the winner’s name and an award of €1,000.
The winner of the Prize will be announced on Thursday 27 March.
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What journalism? Majority of articles are copy pasted…
@Kieran Menon: no, that’s your homework. Sixth class – the best three years of your life, son. Bless.
@Kieran Menon: You’re still here tho, selling advertising like the rest of us
@Luas Vuitton – Penneys Drag Queen: stop projecting yourself mate.
@Thesaltyurchin: what advertising? Ever heard of adblockers? The site doesn’t make a cent off me.
@Kieran Menon: yes it does make a cent off you: you may not read the articles, but you do open them, and therefore count towards the readership stats, which is one of the components that drives advertising revenue.
@Kieran Menon: you’d be so lucky, big boy.
@Kev Kerr: and yet companies like Google/YouTube go well out of their way trying to break ad blockers because it’s impacting their ad revenue…
@Kieran Menon: they make money off of you (and me and all of us) because we are part of the product. Ad blocker partially diminishes their take from you, but be under no illusions, you are part of the product.
Is it a prize for the most leftwing propaganda publication
@Rian O’Sullivan: Anything left of Goebbels is leftwing for the likes of you
@Rian O’Sullivan: don’t worry. You’re still in the running for the loser with highest number of different accounts on one website. Your prize for lowest iq on a public platform is already in the post and winging it’s way towards your bedroom as I write.
@Alan: I only have one account though nice to see the Jounal rolling out its staffers to try and defend the left wing rag.
@Jason Memail: Incorrect its a fact the journal is a left wing rag.
@Rian O’Sullivan: Mate, you’re a troll. If you’re so put off by “lefties” why else would you be on a publication like the journal, other than to troll? Unless you’re being paid to do so. Hmmmm…
@Iano C: Hummm so you agree its a left wing rag. Thanks for your honesty kid.
@Rian O’Sullivan: No chance they’d investigate dole fraud or illegal immigration.
@Thomas Sheridan: Yes that would be something I would fully support. Catch those dole fraud wasters.
It would be great if they did an investigation into trolling in the comments section……..why do they do it, is there any sanction, how many are multi accounts on here, why do they “clone” genuine commentators, why did brenny delegate all his juvenile nonsense to his secondary accounts?
@Buster Lawless: No one cares tho
@Buster Lawless: I’ve reported Brendan as a missing person. I’m really starting to worry.
@Buster Lawless: That would be epic! And they have the data to hand. If you’re reading this, Journal editors, please do an investigation into trolling. It’s super-topical and right under your nose.
@Cheese Sandwich: There are many reincarnations of him on this site!
@Brian Hunt: yes, I think everyone is aware …… The kev- or kevvy – or Kevin kerrr accounts, the Claire powers account & the ‘ hungry house game ‘ accounts —- they’re all brennys — even brenny boasts about those accounts on trustpilot
“Mary Rafferty Prize” or “The Josef Goebbels Academy of Journalism Award”
@Brian Hunt: that’s some slur on Mary *Raftery (yes, not that hard) and her work. Are you aware of her work, Mr Hunt Rhymes With?
@Luas Vuitton – Penneys Drag Queen: Is that the best you can do, peurile name calling, yes, I suppose it is!
@Luas Vuitton – Penneys Drag Queen: I suppose when you want to do a little name-calling you use this alter ego Kevin/Kevvy/Kev, gob$hite!
The journals left wing debunking should not be awarded
@Dixie: whatever that means.
WELL DONE JOURNAL.IE!!!
Hopefully, you’ll sweep the boards which will be well deserved & hard earned.
It’s similar to that movie ‘ Spotlight’—- best of luck
Strange that most of the comments are negative towards the Journal, yet the ones making the comments feel they must read it!!
If it’s that much of a pain then don’t read it or pass comment!!
@Ollie Fitzpatrick: just mute the chunts.
@Ollie Fitzpatrick: It’s bizarre, isn’t it? The irony that the trolls are feeding engagement is delicious.
@Iano C: in fairness don’t many of us that will click on to the journal for the unreal bias the newspapers in Ireland show, are just unhappy for fair reasons to do with censorship and in fairness I definitely seem to recall getting abuse and the person was not banned. Selective !!
Well done the Journal. More investigations and more local news please.
Good Lord! Reading these comments you’d have to wonder WHY ARE YOU HERE!!?
Go find other outlets that don’t bother with an editorial process and stop torturing us with your whining.
@Tricia G28: yep, and one of the “positive” comments isn’t really positive, as it’s from “Mary” the multi account merchant, and “she’s” only trolling
@Kev Kerr: Mary Linton…
The female fictitious character in the computer game Red dead redemption 2,
that’s the same troll who had the name Balfour ( on Israeli stories when we could comment) Balfour being the man responsible for the creation of Israel back in the day, I had to admit to myself at the time, that the name Balfour was genius when discussing Palestine and Israel, ..not too many seem to pick up on it at the time though,.. it’s a troll for sure, but in fairness, a pretty good troll as most people are unaware and think they’re dealing with an Irish woman called Mary Linton….
Mary could almost be classified as a professional troll.. getting paid to work from home…home being anywhere on the Internet in the world.
@Tricia G28: You see Tricia, activities that people are usually able to experience, are outside the realm of possibility for those folk. Incels I believe they’re called.
@Tricia G28:
Everyone on here is whining, including you.
Anyone who shines a light on the issues of Sexual abuse and shortcomings in our Mental Health services should be applauded
“The journal investigates” haaaaaahaaaaaahaaahaaaaa hahahaha haaaaa haaaaaaaa hahahaha. Pack of jokers.
Nice work, Journal! Keep it up.
Well done, and well deserved
Operation mockingbird. A CIA, sorry, ‘Boston’ business conglomerate owns this rag.
A prize sponsored by Open Society Foundations.
The way it’s going they could win a prize for gaslighting people as to the past roles key ministers have had in various scandals that involve the abuse of many vulnerable people, especially kids and the elderly as you get little mention of it. More of a mention than the staunchly pro government rte & Indo, but still just a little. The current tanaiste has done serious harm in this regard.
have your say