A JOURNALIST who worked for Examiner Publications Cork Ltd for 23 years has appealed against her dismissal to the Employment Appeals Tribunal, claiming it was unfair. However, the newspaper company denies she was a member of staff during that time, and said she worked for it on a freelance basis.
Dr John O'Mahony SC, representing Ms Anne Mooney of Rochestown, Co Cork, said she was first offered work by the Cork Examiner in 1973 and became an employee in the ordinary way. She became their court reporter 3 1/2 years ago, a job always filled by staff reporters, and was paid a daily rate.
When she won an A.T. Cross award for journalism the newspaper referred to her as "our girl", and the Examiner was her only source of income.
On May 15th, 1996, she was summoned to a meeting in the Examiner where she encountered a very aggressive situation and was told she had betrayed the Examiner. This arose from a court hearing that day at which her daughter took notes while Ms Mooney attended another court outside the city. Ms Mooney assembled the piece and submitted it to the Examiner.
Mr Fergus Long, representing Examiner Publications Cork Ltd, told the tribunal Ms Mooney was a freelance journalist who was paid a daily rate and had applied for a full-time job with the Examiner in March 1989, describing herself as a freelance journalist.
She was returned annually as a freelance contributor to the Revenue Commissioners.
It was important to have a competent person reporting in court because of the risk of being sued, and Ms Mooney chose to have her daughter, who was not a journalist, in court on the date in question, to take a shorthand note.
The hearing was adjourned for three months.