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The story surrounding independent journalist Aidan “Turtleboy” Carney and his recent 60-day stint in Norfolk County Jail is not an easy one to understand. Mr Carney had been in custody since the day after Christmas, but was released this afternoon. I’ve been following this story since the beginning, but it’s still often difficult to understand. At the heart of this is something that we should all hold very dear: freedom of the press.
In an age of “fake news,” shadowbanning, and distorted algorithms, freedom of the press is more essential than ever. Mr. Carney, who started his blog, Turtleboy Daily News, has always maintained a unique style of journalism. Unconventional, often vulgar and opinionated, Carney secured his following by targeting what he considered the worst members of society in a format that was easy to read for the average reader. Full disclosure, as the author of this article, I myself also appeared on one of Carney’s blogs. Since then we have discussed the blog and he offered to delete it but I declined.I believe in freedom of the press that many.
Carney began unraveling the Karen Reed case, which is now making national headlines. Mr. Reed, who was charged with murder in the 2022 death of her then-boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, has denied killing Mr. O’Keefe, and Mr. Carney has accused her of killing him. has become its most vocal supporter. Carney meticulously details O’Keeffe’s death throughout the series “State Cover-up,” and perhaps most notably, not only did Reed not kill O’Keeffe, but other people did kill O’Keeffe. , began to develop a theory that a murder had taken place. A massive cover-up to frame Reed for murder.
As I write this today, the “State Cover-up” series has run 297 issues, giving readers more extensive coverage of this case than any other media outlet in the country. As Mr. Carney began sharing details of the case, his following grew. Carney himself had “a few hundred” monthly blog subscribers before he started writing about the Karen Reed case, he said, but now it’s in the thousands. After many years of writing without much financial success, this topic became a lucrative one for him and his company.
Despite his popularity among his followers, also known as “Turtle Rider,” critics have questioned his credentials, often referring to him as “just a blogger” and his work as an independent journalist. trying to damage the credibility of But what is a journalist? By definition:
“A journalist is an individual who gathers/gathers information in the form of text, audio, or images, processes it into a newsworthy form, and disseminates it to the public.”
Mr. Carney certainly fits that bill, but what sets him apart, and perhaps what landed him in county jail, is that he broke the third wall and left the written page to become an activist. is.
Carney was arrested in October and indicted by a grand jury in December on 16 charges, including eight counts of witness intimidation, five counts of witness picketing, and three counts of conspiracy to intimidate witnesses. These charges relate to a witness in the Karen Reed case, with Carney discussing his identity on his own website and livestream, as well as holding rallies and addressing his witnesses during his court appearance. I tried to interview you. All of these can be said to fall under freedom of the press.
Days before Christmas, Carney was out on bail after being charged with assault, battery and witness intimidation against his ex-girlfriend, who had somehow been a witness in his case since October. It’s complicated and hard to understand, but all it took was for her ex-girlfriend, Lindsey Gaetani, to call the police and accuse Carney of shoving her while she was at her home, and her bond was revoked. He was sentenced to 60 days in prison. Mr. Carney has denied ever pushing Mr. Gaetani, and there were no witnesses to the allegations. Gaetani’s credibility has been given little consideration, from his alleged lies about his pregnancy with Carney and subsequent abortion to his interactions with Special Counsel Ken Mello, and importantly, even though Carney is out on bail. All that was said was that the simple accusation was enough to revoke bail.
And while this whole subplot was happening, the OG storyline of accused murderer Karen Reed was still progressing. This week, the U.S. Attorney’s Office shared its own findings on the case with both the federal and defense attorneys, but none of that information has been made public. Supporters of Mr. Reade and Mr. Carney believe these documents vindicate Mr. Reade and lend credence to Mr. Carney’s claims about his cover-up. This information was released days before the next hearing in the case, scheduled for Monday, February 26th. Mr Carney said he would go to court for a hearing.
I met Carney for the first time today. I was in the press box at today’s hearing, where he was indicted on two new federal charges: wiretapping and separate intimidation of a witness. Prosecutors asked for $10,000 cash bail, a GPS device and several additional restrictions, but the judge overseeing the case today denied both of those requests. Mr Carney was charged with two new charges and his release was granted on his own recognizance.
When the judge handed down the verdict, supporters who were listening outside on a Zoom call broadcasting the hearing cheered so loudly that they could be heard inside the courtroom. Carney, and perhaps the freedom of the press he espoused, was actually free.
I was able to remain outside the room where Carney was being processed to leave the courthouse. His attorney, Timothy Bradl, and two members of his team waited in the hallway for Carney to be removed from the handcuffs. Mr. Carney said on a live broadcast shortly after his release that he did not cry at all while in prison, but he admitted that today he cried when he was taken out of the handcuffs.
Mr. Carney came out of the room and quietly hugged his team members in what I interpreted as being overwhelmed. Mr. Carney also hugged me and thanked me for coming. I had a few minutes while I waited for Bradl to pack up, so I asked Carney how he was feeling. He said it felt “surreal.” He noted that there are no bail restrictions, and he said he could not believe what happened in court. It should be noted that Mr. Carney, who has no criminal record, was jailed for the first time in his life for what he and others believed was an attempt to silence a free press. During Mr Carney’s last two months in prison, he claims he was a political prisoner.
Asked if he thought his bail was at risk of being revoked in light of the two new charges, he said he didn’t know what would happen. I quickly noticed that Carney was anxious to get out and greet his supporters. “I don’t want to keep them waiting. They’ve waited long enough.” Carney also promised to return to his YouTube channel live on Saturday night for the first time since December.
As we headed down the courthouse steps to the first floor, Bradl told Carney to “go home to the kids” and call him later. I asked Bradl for an interview, but he insisted that today was not about him. “Today is about Aidan.”
Carney stopped just before the outside door and posed for a photo with his team, smiling but solemn. After 60 days, he was ready to start again. He thanked us and he and Bradl opened their doors to a large following as free men.
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