For Whistleblowers, Journalism and Democracy
By Norman Solomon
One of the many preposterous claims coming from supporters of the vicious new Texas law against abortion is that bounty hunters — standing to gain a $10,000 reward from the state — will somehow be “whistleblowers.” The largest anti-abortion group in Texas is trying to attach the virtuous “whistleblower” label to predators who’ll file lawsuits against abortion providers and anyone who “aids or abets” a woman getting an abortion.
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
The Myth of “Internal Channels” for National Security Whistleblowers
By Jesselyn Radack and Kathleen McClellan
In the chaotic last days of the war in Afghanistan, U.S. officials told the press that the U.S. had executed a deadly drone strike that destroyed a vehicle containing “multiple suicide bombers.” Thanks to investigative journalists who dug deeper into the government’s vague and clinical “reports of civilian casualties,” we now know the strike killed at least 10 civilians, eight of them children. Journalists were not always so quick to question the U.S. drone program. Thanks to whistleblowers like Daniel Hale, who disclosed that civilian casualties were grossly underreported, the government’s word on “civilian casualties” is no longer the last word the public hears.