For Whistleblowers, Journalism and Democracy
By Richard Eskow | Common Dreams | March 4, 2021
Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper recently lamented the rise of domestic extremism in the Washington Post. “We pride ourselves on the institutions that have evolved over hundreds of years,” Clapper said, adding that “legal institutions, the rule of law, protection of citizens’ liberty, privacy” were “under assault.”
March 2, 2021 – Government Accountability Project – International Bar Association (pdf)
A new report, Are Whistleblowing Laws Working? A Global Study of Whistleblower Protection Litigation, tracks the records of whistleblower laws in 38 countries and provides an unprecedented effort to understand the successes and shortcomings of whistleblower protection legislation worldwide, following a proliferation of laws in recent decades. Co-published by Government Accountability Project and the International Bar Association (IBA) Legal Policy & Research Unit (LPRU), the report aims to support legislators, policy-makers and regulators in designing and developing normative, institutional and judicial frameworks that effectively protect whistleblowers in law – and in reality.
Launched by the Institute for Public Accuracy in June 2014, ExposeFacts.org represents a new approach for encouraging whistleblowers to disclose information that citizens need in order to make truly informed decisions in a democracy. From the outset, our message is clear: “Whistleblowers Welcome at ExposeFacts.org.”
ExposeFacts aims to shed light on concealed activities that are relevant to human rights, corporate malfeasance, the environment, civil liberties and war. At a time when key provisions of the First, Fourth and Fifth Amendments are under assault, we are standing up for a free press, privacy, transparency and due process as we seek to reveal official information—whether governmental or corporate—that the public has a right to know. More information
America The Usual
By Jeffrey Sterling
Though the assault on the Capitol was over two months ago, I continue to be haunted by not only what I saw in the news reports, but also in the overall meaning that was on stage for the world to see. Much more than a horrible insurrection and assault on democracy, what I saw, and have been continually reminded of, was that what happened on that fateful day was America, the usual.