Does anybody out there have any information on Turn Off The Blue Light?!

[Patricia]

You couldn't dig out the actual statement at some point could you Pat?

(Mercifully, there is a bill in the senate that might be the writing on the wall for all this misuse and misattribution of photographs and names...)

Only for you, I'll go locate it...

[LaBelleThatcher]

Another sad point is, companies like E-I can do something about it when the media attacks us. Most of the untrue things said about E-I in the media, the media doesn't actually say "Escort-Ireland.com", it says "escort ireland". This is so if our lawyers complain, they can say they weren't talking about Escort-Ireland.com, they were talking about one of the dozens of other websites that goes by that name. When the media has said untrue things about Escort-Ireland.com before, we have taken legal action and got retractions, appologies etc. The point I'm getting to is that TV3 etc do have to think twice before slandering E-I, as they know we are capable of holding them to account. But with a small sex workers association or collective, the media know they can say what they like without recourse, as what's the chances of the people involved having the money to hire lawyers to fight back, or wanting the exposure of their identities that would involve? I'm afraid small sex workers orgs are liable to get maulled in the the media very unfairly by people like Paul Connolly, cheap, unethical, gutter journalists.

See other post, there is a bill going through now that should put a stop to most of that, or, at least, the exposing of sex workers for sport that goes on take a look:
http://www.politics.ie/news/new-priv...tions-206.html

The trouble is, once it is said in the media, a challenge just tends to perpetuate it. Nobody ever pays any attention to the retractions.

I have to say I have been very pleasantly surprised by E-I.

[Banjaxed]

Another sad point is, companies like E-I can do something about it when the media attacks us. Most of the untrue things said about E-I in the media, the media doesn't actually say "Escort-Ireland.com", it says "escort ireland". This is so if our lawyers complain, they can say they weren't talking about Escort-Ireland.com, they were talking about one of the dozens of other websites that goes by that name. When the media has said untrue things about Escort-Ireland.com before, we have taken legal action and got retractions, appologies etc. The point I'm getting to is that TV3 etc do have to think twice before slandering E-I, as they know we are capable of holding them to account. But with a small sex workers association or collective, the media know they can say what they like without recourse, as what's the chances of the people involved having the money to hire lawyers to fight back, or wanting the exposure of their identities that would involve? I'm afraid small sex workers orgs are liable to get maulled in the the media very unfairly by people like Paul Connolly, cheap, unethical, gutter journalists.

Yes, unfortunately, the whole "freedom of the press" lie has granted them to be allowed a number of loopholes to avoid a successful defamation action being taken against them. "Anonymous sources" (non-journalist speak: "I made it up") and "fair comment in the public interest" are all broad defences which allow them to escape responsibility.

At least with the Defamation Act 2009 in place, it's been made a little easier and more straight forward to pursue untrue and defamatory statements than had previously been the case under the non-codified Tort of Defamation (split into libel and slander, but now it's all the one). In terms of a voluntary sex worker organisation, hopefully there would be some willingness for people with legal experience to assist on a pro-bono basis. The resurgence of FLAC (which actually no longer takes volunteers as they're full!) and the recent rejuvenation of the Public Interest Law Alliance (PILA) shows that there is a willingness from some, mainly young professionals, to get involved in pro-bono work as it's always beneficial career wise too.

The 2009 Act also allows some cases to go through the Circuit Court, which is a big turnaround from always having to go to the High Court with it's astronomical expenses. But as Eileen points out, once the dirt is thrown it generally sticks even if they're forced to retract it and even apologise.

[Patricia]

Ok it was a long statement as a lot of questions were asked about a lot of things, but E-I was asked to make a comment on TOBL and also if E-I owned any TOBL domains. In response to this, the following reply was given:

It is not our place to comment on other organisations and as such we will not be commenting on Turn Off the Blue Light. I have checked and neither turnoffthebluelight.ie or turnoffthebluelight.com is registered to E Designers. Turn Off the Blue Light did start out of open discussions in community areas of the Escort-Ireland.com website and the .com domain was originally secured by E Designers, before being handed over to the Turn Off the Blue Light organisation a few weeks later in March 2011.

This isn't really important detail here. I am just clarifying that there hasn't been deception going on here. Connolly likes to come in with the "Oh look what sordid secrets I've discovered!" line, but in reality he discovered nothing.

[Patricia]

I'll have to go read up on that new privacy bill.

The common situation I know of at the moment is, to make a complaint via the Press Ombudsman, you have to provide your real name and contact details to the newspaper you are complaining about. So, escort gets her photos published by rag newspaper, if she wants to complain about this via the Press Ombudsman, first thing she has to do is provide rag newspaper with her name and address etc. This stops a lot of escorts complaining.

[Banjaxed]

I'll have to go read up on that new privacy bill.

The common situation I know of at the moment is, to make a complaint via the Press Ombudsman, you have to provide your real name and contact details to the newspaper you are complaining about. So, escort gets her photos published by rag newspaper, if she wants to complain about this via the Press Ombudsman, first thing she has to do is provide rag newspaper with her name and address etc. This stops a lot of escorts complaining.

Yes, it's the same with the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. However, in a lot of these Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) schemes you can appoint a representative to deal with proceedings as I've dealt with a few Employment Rights issues involving non-national workers that way, but obviously like any case the applicant (or plaintiff) who has suffered damage has to be known. Otherwise it wouldn't be in line with the standard of fair procedures as set down by the Supreme Court in Healy v Donoghue, I think it was, off the top of my head.

[LaBelleThatcher]

I'll have to go read up on that new privacy bill.

The common situation I know of at the moment is, to make a complaint via the Press Ombudsman, you have to provide your real name and contact details to the newspaper you are complaining about. So, escort gets her photos published by rag newspaper, if she wants to complain about this via the Press Ombudsman, first thing she has to do is provide rag newspaper with her name and address etc. This stops a lot of escorts complaining.

That is SO SICK.

Well, when we get rid of Ruhama, and get some sane legislation, that will be another thing to work on...

[LaBelleThatcher]

It is not our place to comment on other organisations and as such we will not be commenting on Turn Off the Blue Light. I have checked and neither turnoffthebluelight.ie or turnoffthebluelight.com is registered to E Designers. Turn Off the Blue Light did start out of open discussions in community areas of the Escort-Ireland.com website and the .com domain was originally secured by E Designers, before being handed over to the Turn Off the Blue Light organisation a few weeks later in March 2011.

So edesigners just set up the domain and website as a sort of contribution to TOTBL?

I am really sorry Pat...I bought all that stuff about a "fiendish pimpish plot" and of all people I should have known better.

I only had to stop being jaundiced and read it to see that, if it was a "fiendish pimpish plot" then it was a very funny way to be going about it...(I am just trying to imagine some pimp DOING all the intense research and writing out all the feminism...doesn't really jive...).

[Patricia]

So edesigners just set up the domain and website as a sort of contribution to TOTBL?

I am really sorry Pat...I bought all that stuff about a "fiendish pimpish plot" and of all people I should have known better.

I only had to stop being jaundiced and read it to see that, if it was a "fiendish pimpish plot" then it was a very funny way to be going about it...(I am just trying to imagine some pimp DOING all the intense research and writing out all the feminism...doesn't really jive...).

It started out here, it would have been fair to call it an E-I project for its first few weeks, but as it was talked about it was decided it needed to be independent to E-I, that it should be an escort led association not an E-I project, and that's what happened, that's where it went.

[Banjaxed]

Besides, as it struck me in reading that particular article, if I was a so-called "pimp" I'd be a lot more careful in how I'd establish a group so that sensationalists wouldn't able to establish a link as easily as these people could (since they're certainly not known for their depth or integrity of research).