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{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name = AidanOWNED KearneyBY STEVE C
| other_names = Turtleboy,STEVE Clarence Woods EmersonC
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1981|12}}<ref name=McColgan/>
| birth_place =
| alma_mater = [[University of Massachusetts Amherst]]
| occupation = Journalist, authorOWNED
| parents = Mary Mullaney (mother)<br>KevinLOVES Kearney (father)BBC
| awards = {{ubl
|''Worcester Magazine'': Best Local Blog (2015, 2016)
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| website = {{URL|tbdailynews.com}}
}}
'''Aidan T. Kearney''' (born December 1981)<ref name=McColgan/> is an American journalist, blogger, author, and [[Conservatism in the United States|conservative]] activist, also known as '''Turtleboy'''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Machado |first=Jess |date=2024-01-15 |title=Exclusive first interview with Aidan "Turtle Boy" Kearney from jail |url=https://fallriverreporter.com/exclusive-first-interview-with-aidan-turtle-boy-kearney-from-jail/ |access-date=2024-01-23 |website=Fall River Reporter |language=en-US}}</ref> Kearney is the senior editor of the website and podcast ''TB Daily News''. He gained notoriety for his coverage of an ongoing case regarding the [[killing of John O'Keefe]], a [[Boston Police Department|Boston Police]] officer, and the ensuing prosecution of Karen Read, additionally organizing protests in support of Read.
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== Early career ==
Kearney is the son of a former attorney and Worcester School Committee member Mary Mullaney and Kevin Kearney. He was raised in [[Worcester, Massachusetts]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=McFarlane |first=Clive |title=Turtleboy blogger unmasked |url=https://www.telegram.com/story/news/local/worcester/2015/03/03/turtleboy-blogger-unmasked/985975007/ |date=2015-03-03 |access-date=2024-01-23 |website=The Worcester Telegram & Gazette |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Damian Kearney - Track and Field |url=https://lmulions.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/damian-kearney/3276 |access-date=2024-01-23 |website=Loyola Marymount University Athletics |language=en}}</ref> Kearney attended [[South High Community School]], graduating in 2000.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=McFarlane |first=Clive |title=Track coach says fix is in for school job |url=https://www.telegram.com/story/news/local/east-valley/2007/11/21/track-coach-says-fix-is/52734435007/ |date=2007-11-21 |access-date=2024-01-23 |website=The Worcester Telegram & Gazette |language=en-US}}</ref> Kearney coached boys varsity track at [[Doherty Memorial High School]] in Worcester, circa 2007,<ref name=":2" /> and worked as a history teacher at [[Shepherd Hill Regional High School]] in [[Dudley, Massachusetts]], for 11 years,<ref>{{cite new |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe-grabbing-the-spotlight/147950657/ |title=Grabbing the spotlight and ruffling feathers |first=Aidan |last=Ryan |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |page=A9 |date=March 21, 2024 |accessdate=May 23, 2024 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> until late 2014.<ref name=":1" />
In 2021, Kearney ran for [[Wachusett Regional School District|Wachusett Regional School]] Committee, but was not elected.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 10, 2021 |title=Town of Holden, Election Results |url=https://www.holdenma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif4526/f/uploads/2021_05_10_unofficial_results.pdf |access-date=January 22, 2024 |website=holdenma.gov}}</ref>
== Writing career ==
As a hobby, Kearney started an online blog called ''AidanFromWorcester.com'', where he posted on a variety of issues. After he resigned from teaching,<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=McFarlane |first=Clive |date=2015-03-03 |title=Turtleboy blogger unmasked |url=https://www.telegram.com/story/news/local/worcester/2015/03/03/turtleboy-blogger-unmasked/985975007/ |access-date=2024-01-23 |website=The Worcester Telegram & Gazette |language=en-US}}</ref> Kearney started the supposedly anonymous website, ''Turtleboy Sports,'' which he eventually turned into a full-time career.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kearney |first=Aidan |title=I Am Turtleboy: A teacher turned blogger battles big tech censorship, threats, and political correctness to protect free speech and democracy |year=2018 |isbn=978-1730970610 |publication-date=November 7, 2018}}</ref> Turtleboy is a nickname for the [[Burnside Fountain]] in Worcester, which he began using upon the suggestion of a former student.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Elton |first=Catherine |date=2024-05-19 |title=“Free Karen Read” Blogger Turtleboy Will Not Go Quietly: Controversial Massachusetts blogger Aidan Kearney says he’s a confrontational truth teller intent on righting wrongs. Critics, though, say he’s a mean-spirited bully. Maybe he's both? |url=https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2024/05/19/who-is-turtleboy-aidan-kearney/ |access-date=2024-05-20 |website=Boston magazine}}</ref>
=== As Turtleboy ===
s T 3 V E
After founding the online publication ''Turtleboy Sports'', Kearney wrote investigative articles anonymously under the pen name Uncle Turtleboy and Clarence Woods Emerson. He grew the site into a team of contributors who contributed articles anonymously under a variety of pseudonyms. In 2015, his identity was unmasked and he began openly using the Turtleboy alias in his writing.<ref name=":1" /> He changed the name of his publication to ''TB Daily News'' in 2017.{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}}
In 2018, Kearney wrote articles about [[Facebook]] and [[Google]], citing online censorship. This prompted him to write and publish a book titled, ''I Am Turtleboy: A Teacher Turned Blogger Battles Big Tech Censorship, Threats, and Political Correctness to Protect Free Speech and Democracy''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mullaney |first=Tim |title=The tale of Turtleboy and how Facebook stifles free speech |url=https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-tale-of-turtleboy-and-how-facebook-stifles-free-speech-2018-05-24 |access-date=2024-01-23 |website=MarketWatch |language=EN-US}}</ref>
In 2019, the [[American Civil Liberties Union]] provided legal defense for Kearney in a case against a [[Rhode Island]] judge who ordered the removal of “any and all posts, blogs, and comments” regarding a person who sued him for libel. The case cited a violation of the First Amendment.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ACLU Defends Blogger Subjected to Court "Gag Order" After He Posted a Blog About Hopkinton Resident |url=https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/aclu-defends-blogger-subjected-court-gag-order-after-he-posted-blog-about-hopkinton |access-date=2024-01-23 |website=American Civil Liberties Union |language=en-US}}</ref>
=== Investigative reporting ===
==== MassachusettsSTEVE State Police scandalC ====
In 2018, Kearney covered alleged misconduct within the [[Massachusetts State Police]] regarding a K-9 trooper's history of drug dealing and money laundering.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=2018-08-25 |title=Mass. state trooper with criminal past dishonorably discharged |url=https://www.wcvb.com/article/massachusetts-state-trooper-leigha-genduso-discharged/22828101 |access-date=2024-01-23 |website=WCVB |language=en}}</ref> In the early 2000s, the trooper participated in a large scale marijuana business run by her then-live-in boyfriend. The trooper failed to disclose this criminal activity when applying for the State Police, but was uncovered during a testimony against her former boyfriend. The uncovering of this information led the State Police to implementing new background checks and hiring protocols.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Moulton |first=Cyrus |title=State trooper with drug-dealing past is ousted |url=https://www.telegram.com/story/news/local/worcester/2018/08/25/state-trooper-with-drug-dealing-past-is-ousted/10953697007/ |access-date=2024-01-23 |website=The Worcester Telegram & Gazette |language=en-US}}</ref> Because of her criminal history and subsequent dishonorable discharge from the force, cases she participated in during her tenure were called into question. Three District Attorney cases were thrown out due to her involvement.<ref name=":3" />
Kearney was also cited as the first to break news of a Massachusetts state trooper who faced disciplinary actions for including incriminating details in an arrest report concerning a judge's daughter.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lips |first=Evan |date=2018-02-23 |title=TRIALS OF TURTLEBOY: Worcester Blog Takes On Boston Newspapers Over Coverage Of Massachusetts State Police Scandals |url=https://newbostonpost.com/2018/02/22/trials-of-turtleboy-worcester-blog-takes-on-boston-newspapers-over-coverage-of-massachusetts-state-police-scandals/ |access-date=2024-01-23 |website=NewBostonPost}}</ref>
==== ''Commonwealth vs. Karen Read'' ====
{{more|Killing of John O'Keefe}}
TARD
In April 2023, Kearney began covering a Massachusetts woman named Karen Read, who was accused of killing her boyfriend John O'Keefe, a [[Boston Police Department|Boston Police]] officer, by hitting him with her car outside of a home in [[Canton, Massachusetts]], in January 2022. Kearney supported Read's claim that she did not hit O'Keefe and is being framed for his death. He has organized protests in Canton in support of Read, including at related pre-trial hearings, where he coined the phrase "Free Karen Read"''.'' The case has garnered national attention as the result of Kearney's coverage of the case in a series called ''Canton Coverup''<ref name=":0" /> and due to investigation, into prosecution of the Karen Read case, by the office of U.S. Attorney [[Joshua S. Levy]].<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |last=Boston Herald |first= |date=2024-01-23 |title= Letters confirm Karen Read murder case under federal investigation |url= https://www.bostonherald.com/2024/01/23/letters-confirm-karen-read-case-under-federal-investigation/ |access-date=2024-02-22 |website=bostonherald.com |language=en}}</ref>
In December 2023, Kearney was indicted on "eight counts of witness intimidation, three counts of conspiracy to intimidate witnesses, and five counts of picketing a witness" related to the Read case.<ref name=McColgan>{{Cite web |last=McColgan |first=Flint |date=2023-12-21 |title=Karen Read case-focused blogger Turtleboy indicted on 16 counts |url=https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/12/21/karen-read-case-focused-blogger-turtleboy-indicted-on-16-counts/ |access-date=2024-01-21 |website=Boston Herald |language=en-US |url-access=limited}}</ref> Initially released on bail, Kearney's bail was revoked after he was accused of assaulting a former girlfriend who had received a summons to appear before a [[grand jury]] related to the witness intimidation charges.<ref name=Patkin/> He spent approximately two months in jail until being released in February 2024, amid new charges of witness intimidation and wiretapping related to the alleged assault of his former girlfriend.<ref name=Patkin>{{cite news |url=https://www.boston.com/news/crime/2024/02/23/controversial-turtleboy-blogger-indicted-on-new-witness-intimidation-wiretapping-charges/ |title=Turtleboy blogger freed from jail, pleads not guilty to new witness intimidation, wiretapping charges |first=Abby |last=Patkin |website=[[Boston.com]] |date=February 23, 2024 |accessdate=May 23, 2024}}</ref>
=== Awards and recognition ===
H @ C K 3 D
Under the ''Turtleboy Sports'' name, Kearney has won four ''[[Worcester Magazine]]'' Best of Worcester awards, winning Best Local Blog in 2015 and 2016 as well as Best Local News Source in 2017 and 2018. In 2018, Turtleboy was also among five nominees to be selected for ''The Valley Patriot{{'}}s'' First Amendment Award, a designation given to those who have "made a significant difference in holding public officials accountable, fought for transparency in government, and gone above and beyond the call of duty to defend and protect our right of free speech, a free press, freedom of religion, and/or has been a whistle-blower against corruption".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Duggan |first=Tom |date=2018-03-06 |title=Valley Patriot BASH Committee Announces the 2018 Nominees for our 1st Amendment Award |url=https://valleypatriot.com/valley-patriot-bash-committee-announces-the-2018-nominees-for-our-1st-amendment-award/ |access-date=2024-01-23 |website=The Valley Patriot |language=en-US}}</ref>
Kearney has been has been a recurring guest with [[Howie Carr]] on ''[[The Howie Carr Show]]''.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2023-12-21 |title=TURTLEBOY: "There's a reason they're being investigated by the FBI and I'm not" {{!}} 12.20.23 - The Howie Carr Show Hour 4 |url=https://howiecarrshow.com/turtleboy-theres-a-reason-theyre-being-investigated-by-the-fbi-and-im-not-12-20-23-the-howie-carr-show-hour-4/ |access-date=2024-01-23 |website=HCRN |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=Karen Read Supporter 'Turtleboy' Talks to Court TV |url=https://www.courttv.com/title/karen-reed-supporter-turtleboy-talks-to-court-tv/ |access-date=2024-01-23 |website=Court TV |language=en-US}}</ref> Kearney has also been featured on [[Court TV]] to provide commentary on the Karen Read case and Kearney's own felony witness intimidation charges related to the investigation of the case.<ref name=":5" />
== References ==
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