The Espionage Act was passed to deter spies who might pass on classified information to foreign governments. But lately it’s been used as a weapon against homegrown whistleblowers, whose intention was not espionage but exposing government waste, fraud, and abuse.
Over the first 500 days of the new administration, there has not been a dramatic increase in whistleblower complaints. But new Trump policies, and a drive to cut federal budgets, may make all federal employees — especially those who challenge White House policies — much more vulnerable.
What’s better than Daniel Ellsberg? Peter Dale Scott paying tribute to him.
A bipartisan effort in the Senate is seeking to shield FBI whistleblowers, who are among the most poorly protected in the federal workforce, from retaliation.
In an exclusive interview, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction tells WhoWhatWhy about some of the worst wastes of taxpayer money, decries the lack of accountability and praises whistleblowers.
In a $100 million lawsuit that has garnered virtually no public attention, five National Security Agency whistleblowers are accusing the federal government of illegally retaliating against them for alerting the NSA and Congress to a waste of taxpayer funds that benefitted a well-connected contractor.
The chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs recently praised whistleblowers, though he has been an outspoken opponent of Edward Snowden. Why the double standard when it comes to Snowden?
UK Member of Parliament David Davis has emerged as one of Britain’s top critics of government encroachment on liberty and privacy. In the second half of an interview with WhoWhatWhy’s Russ Baker, Davis talks about how he defied his party leadership to help stop Britain from fighting in Syria; the value and vulnerability of whistleblowers; and how government legal aid cuts are putting ordinary citizens at the mercy of the state.
The truth about whistleblowers—and why they do what they do. Turns out they’re not crazy; though the rest of us might be. An inspiring video talk on how we all could be whistleblowers.
Somehow, the leaks of NSA documents on the fragility of democracy have been turned around into public criticism of the leaker. The conservative press wants us to focus on Edward Snowden’s girlfriend. Ok, fine. Here’s that picture. Happy? Now can we move on to what’s really happening in this country—and why it’s so hard to speak the truth about it?
We’re going to occasionally post some of the more thoughtful comments from our readers. Here’s the first: a look at the very different mindsets of those who question things, and those who rigidly stick to their long-held beliefs.
In the New York Daily News, columnist Stanley Crouch stresses the significance of health insurance p.r. executive Wendell Potter’s defection to the health care reform movement. Potter is now working with the Center for Media and Democracy to counter industry propaganda and reveal the internal workings of the business. Whistleblowers are indispensable in the battle Read More