THE MOTHER of a Co Cavan teenager who died by suicide has described the use of her son's image in an anti-vaccine publication as "disgusting".
Edel Campbell from Kingscourt appealed for her 18-year-old son Diego Gilsenan's image to be removed from 'The Irish Light' freesheet, which is edited by former journalist Gemma O'Doherty.
The teenager's image is among 42 photos of young people on the front page of the publication, which claims their sudden deaths were somehow linked to receiving the Covid-19 vaccine.
Ms Campbell said she had not been able to sleep since learning of the publication on November 26, which a family friend discovered "by pure coincidence" in a shop near her home.
Other deaths used by the former journalist to advance her argument include the death by suicide of Sligo footballer Red Óg Murphy and the death of Galway camogie player Katie Moran in a tragic accident during a club match.
Ms O'Doherty further posted a video online on December 1 in which she held up a copy of the newspaper's front page - in front of an open van full of copies that she said were "ready for distribution in the 32 counties of Ireland".
Ms Campbell said this video made her pain worse than at any stage since her son's passing in August last year.
She said it was "horrific" and "disgusting".
"She [Ms O'Doherty] took Diego's picture off RIP.ie and used it," Ms Campbell told RTÉ.
"She never contacted me. She never asked me. She doesn't know Diego's circumstances. I doubt she even knows his name."
Ms Campbell said some people she knew queried whether the freesheet’s story about her son was true.
The grieving mother has also made several efforts to have the content removed online and for Ms O'Doherty to stop the paper's dissemination.
"All I want for her is to say sorry - just to apologise to me and the other families - and take it off her paper," she said.
Ms O'Doherty was unavailable for comment, RTÉ reported, while a series of questions to the Irish Light's website went unanswered.
Ms Campbell also criticised social media companies for the failure to tackle upsetting and offensive content.
A spokesperson for the Department of Media said that while it could not comment on individual cases "intrusions in our personal lives, whether offline or online, are damaging and the use of anyone’s personal information, particularly children, to spread disinformation about public health matters is wrong".
The Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022 was recently signed into law in the Republic and tougher sanctions and regulations around social media content will apply in the new year, alongside the appointment of an Online Safety Commissioner.
