Summary: <a href="https://twitter.com/kenfoxe" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">Ken Foxe</a> is a lecturer in DIT and a freelance journalist.<br> On June 27 last, the Irish-American academic and blogger <a href="http://www.thejournal.ie/catherine-kelly-regina-doherty-gardai-3477559-Jul2017/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">Catherine Kelly was leaving Ireland through Dublin airport when she was detained by two plain clothes gardaí</a>, and questioned about online reporting that she had done on the finances of Fine Gael minister for Social Protection Regina Doherty.<br> Ms Kelly says that she was ‘cautioned’ not to write any more about Regina Doherty, and bullied into signing the garda notes without being permitted to read them, under the threat that she would be made to miss her plane if she didn’t.<br> Regina Doherty has confirmed that she made a criminal complaint against Catherine Kelly – it’s not clear for what; and neither the minister nor the gardaí will comment on the case.<br> The gardaí <a href="http://www.judecollins.com/2017/07/theres-quare-sinister-things-dublin-catherine-kelly/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">who detained her talked about Catherine Kelly supposedly harassing Regina Doherty</a> on twitter, and didn’t appear, according to Kelly, to understand that since they both blocked each other years ago, that this isn’t plausible.<br> It’s not clear how, or whether Catherine Kelly’s detention at the airport was legal. There has been some comment online suggesting that she was given a formal garda caution, <a href="http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/justice/law_enforcement/adult_cautioning_scheme.html" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">but a quick look at the information online about the Adult Cautioning Scheme</a> makes it clear that this is not the case.<br> That was back in the summer. I mention this because Regina Doherty has a record of being touchy – to say the very least – about criticism online. Then, on the second of September, a twitter account called <a href="https://twitter.com/newsworthy_ie" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">Newsworthy_ie</a> put together a <a href="https://twitter.com/newsworthy_ie/status/903996604771950592" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">couple of clips which started with an excerpt from an interview Regina Doherty</a> gave about the new public service cards, which she said did not contain biometric data, and followed with several clips rebutting that assertion.<br> That was pretty sharp research, but it was made possible by a <a href="http://www.oireachtas.ie/parliament/watchlisten/playback/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">playback feature</a> on the Oireachtas website, which allows users to find and view video and audio of almost everything that went on in the Dáil and in committees, going all the way back to 2006.<br> The archive was used extensively by journalists – Gavan Reilly of TV3, Philip Boucher Hayes and Katie Hannon of RTÉ all subsequently commented how useful it was for their work – as well as other politically-interested people online. But, without warning, within a day or two of that tweet about Regina Doherty, the entire playback function and all its content was taken offline.<br> More than a decade of material was just made unavailable. Coming up I have an interview – sort of an interview – with a spokesperson for the Houses of the Oireachtas, but first I talk to one of the journalists who first broke the story.<br> So, having talked to Ken Foxe, I thought that the obvious thing to do talk to whoever was in charge. Derek Dignam, the Head of Communications at the Oireachtas had given an interview to RTÉ, but that didn’t cover much of what I wanted to talk about, so I got in touch with the Oireachtas offices to try to arrange an interview with him.<br> I emailed and got a statement from Verona Ní Bhroinn, Press and Public Relations Officer. It was obvious that it was a cut-and-paste response that didn’t address the questions that I asked, and contained a number of errors. I rang and asked could I record an interview, and I was given a time a few days later that I would be able to talk to Derek Dignam.<br> A few minutes before this was due to go ahead,
