Snowden anniversary a reminder of the need to protect whistleblowers and journalists
AP Photo/George Brich
Whistleblowers are essential to a free and unfettered press.
Whistleblowers play a critical role in informing the public and holding the government to account.
Sources who act out of conscience to leak information to the press further our democracy. Whistleblowers like Daniel Ellsberg, Chelsea Manning, and Edward Snowden, have exposed some of our government’s gravest abuses.
Unfortunately, whistleblowers are often prosecuted and jailed. That’s wrong. Whistleblowers and the journalists they work with should be celebrated, not punished.
Featured Items
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Government calls three former and current CIA officers to testify in Jeffrey Sterling trial
We're republishing Marcy Wheeler's coverage of the trial of CIA whistleblower Jeffrey Sterling. The following post first appeared at ExposeFacts. After opening arguments on the first day of the Jeffrey Sterling trial, the government called three former and current CIA officers to testify behind a screen and under partial …
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The government’s circumstantial case in the upcoming trial of CIA whistleblower Jeffrey Sterling
We're republishing Marcy Wheeler's coverage of the trial of CIA whistleblower Jeffrey Sterling. The following post first appeared at ExposeFacts. Today the government and the defense presented their opening arguments in the Jeffrey Sterling case. As laid out in this post, Sterling faces 10 charges — mostly charges …
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Government declares monopoly on right to call journalist James Risen as witness
We're republishing Marcy Wheeler's coverage of the trial of CIA whistleblower Jeffrey Sterling. The following post first appeared at ExposeFacts. As Josh Gerstein first reported, the government has just asked the judge in the Jeffrey Sterling trial, Leonie Brinkema, to declare James Risen unavailable as a witness. After …
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If David Petraeus is actually charged, all of DC will finally find out how incredibly unjust the Espionage Act is
In a surprising development, the New York Times reported late Friday that the FBI and Justice Department have recommended felony charges against ex-CIA director David Petraeus for leaking classified information to his former biographer and mistress Paula Broadwell. While the Times does not specify, the most likely law prosecutors would …
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Government wants to know potential Sterling jurors’ opinions about whistleblowers
We're republishing Marcy Wheeler's coverage of the trial of CIA whistleblower Jeffrey Sterling. The following post first appeared at ExposeFacts. “Do you have any positive or negative beliefs or opinions regarding the term ‘whistleblower’ or individuals who act in the role of a ‘whistleblower’?” the government wants to have …
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Support the Bureau of Investigative Journalism's new project investigating the CIA torture report
Today, we’re launching our first crowd-funding campaign of 2015—in support of the Bureau of Investigative Journalism’s new reporting project on the Senate’s recently-released report on CIA torture. The Bureau, which is partnering with the Rendition Project and long-time torture and secret prisons researchers Crofton Black and Steve …
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A preview of the trial of ex-CIA officer Jeffery Sterling, accused source of journalist James Risen
In the coming weeks, we will be republishing Marcy Wheeler's coverage of the trial of CIA whistleblower Jeffrey Sterling. The following post first appeared at ExposeFacts. Next Monday, the jury selection for the Jeffrey Sterling case will start. After a jury is selected, the trial is expected to take …
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This Week in Transparency: Whistleblowers remain mired in broken system
'When revealing secret documents, one law helps us like no other.' Good piece over at War Is Boring on how it used the FOIA for national security reporting, when it failed, and the need for legislative reform.LAWSUITS DoD fights lawsuit seeking unclassified report on nuclear needs of Israel and …
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Why everyone should care about journalist Barrett Brown's sentencing today
Journalist Barrett Brown is expected to be sentenced by a judge today in a highly controversial case brought by the Justice Department. The below excerpt is an adapted and updated version of the foreword to Barrett's most recent book, written by author Barry Eisler. If you don’t believe …
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Watch Barrett Brown explain why journalists should be covering intel contractors two years before Snowden
Today, a judge in Dallas will decide the fate of journalist Barrett Brown, who is being sentenced in a case that has been fraught with controversy and deplorable conduct by the Justice Department from its beginning in 2013. Brown, who author Barry Eisler profiled earlier today, was one …
