Assessment of European Union Whistleblower Directive
Assessment of European Union Whistleblower Directive By: Tom Devine, Government Accountability Project Legal Director The European Union Whistleblower Directive is a landmark for freedom of speech, and it is far stronger than anyone had realistically hoped would be achieved. However, in order to obtain consensus, some of the most [...]
Memories of Ernie Fitzgerald: A Memorial from Tom Devine
Memories of Ernie Fitzgerald A Memorial from Government Accountability Projects Legal Director, Tom Devine This note is to give credit to the man who molded my vision for activism during the last 40 years and my work with over 7,000 whistleblowers. Ernie Fitzgerald recently died, but his legacy has taken [...]
Sunshine Week: An Annual Reminder of The Importance of Government Transparency and the Freedom of Information
In 2005, the American Society of News Editors (ASNE) launched the first annual Sunshine Week. Beginning initially as a national public awareness campaign to spark conversations about government transparency and the freedom of information, Sunshine Week has grown into a robust series of events, webinars, and panels dedicated to the [...]
Five Years After Snowden Blew the Whistle, The NSA Shutters Controversial Program
Program’s Shutdown Highlights Impact of Former Government Accountability Project Client On March 4th, The New York Times reported that the National Security Agency (NSA) had shut down a major data-collection program that had faced prolonged criticism over its expansive reach. In 2013, Edward Snowden, then an NSA contractor with [...]
State of (Un)Accountability: Trump’s Declaration of Emergency and Its Impact on Government Accountability
On February 15, President Trump declared a National State of Emergency following his failure to secure congressional approval for border wall funding. In a last-minute deal to avoid a second government shutdown, legislators agreed on February 14 to finance $1.375 billion in funding for fencing along the southern border. The [...]
Guest Blog: Dodd-Frank Whistleblower Protection Post-Digital Realty
This guest blog was written by Matt Stock and Jason Zuckerman [1]. As revealed in its 2018 Annual Report to Congress, the SEC Whistleblower Program has been successful in enhancing the SEC’s efforts to root out securities fraud and protect investors. In particular, whistleblower tips have enabled the SEC to recover [...]
Government Accountability Project Mourns the Loss of Mickey Glazer
It is with great sadness that Government Accountability Project learned of the passing of Mickey Glazer. Dr. Glazer was a profound intellectual and author of one of the most groundbreaking books on whistleblowing ever written, The Whistleblowers: Exposing Corruption in Government and Industry. An academic, civic activist, and longtime friend [...]
Speaking Up for Science: New Support for Science Whistleblowers
At Government Accountability Project, we believe that truth deserves a champion. That is why, for more than 40 years, we have assisted over 8,000 whistleblowers, some of the most impactful being science professionals. Employees in diverse fields in both the public and private sector have exercised their integrity, and their [...]
White House Whistleblower Suspended After Complaint Goes Public
Tricia Newbold, who worked in the White House Security Office for 18 years, was suspended less than a week after NBC News reported on Newbold’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint against her boss, Carl Kline. The initial article, which was published on Jan. 24, focused on Kline and reports that he [...]
From Ünker to Khashoggi, Regimes Crack Down on Journalists
Gabrielle Simeck, January 14, 2019 Last Tuesday, Turkish journalist, Pelin Ünker, was sentenced to 13 months in prison. Her crime: doing her job. In 2017, Ünker reported that Binali Yıldırım, former Prime Minister of Turkey and current speaker of the national assembly, and his sons owned five offshore companies in Malta. Ünker’s [...]
Watchdog and Advocacy Coalition Report Warns of Systemic Attacks on Science
Government Accountability Project Staff, November 15, 2018 The Report Exposes Chronic Interference With Federal Science and Public Health and Safety Measures Under the Trump Administration and Makes Critical Recommendations to Congress A report released today by a coalition of prominent watchdog and advocacy groups – including Government Accountability Project – [...]
UN Must Protect WIPO Whistleblower Against Retaliation
In September 2018, the US State Department reported to the Congressional Appropriations Committees that the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a Specialized Agency of the United Nations (UN) System, lacks best-practice whistleblower protections. The case of whistleblower Wei Lei featured prominently in that report. Lei’s experience as a UN staff member on [...]
Khashoggi Murder Proves Actions Speak Louder Than Words in Saudi Arabia
New whistleblower protection laws prove toothless The disappearance and presumed murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a leading critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, highlights the enormous risk Saudi whistleblowers take when exercising “free” speech. As international watchdogs shine a spotlight on Saudi Arabia’s supposed reforms in the midst of this appalling [...]
The Power of One: Multiplied by the Rest of Us
The Government Accountability Project began 40 years ago as an effort to change the culture of the United States surrounding the topic of whistleblowing. We saw whistleblowers as courageous heroes and patriots while the nation’s culture was mired in the notion that they were merely “finks,” “tattletales” and “snitches.” We [...]
Urgent Action Requested: Sign the Petition Below
We are counting on you to stand with us and sign a letter urging Congress and President Trump to update the most critical whistleblower legal rights in the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act. We ask for you to support the completion of the landmark, 13-year legislative effort to restore credible whistleblower [...]
Whistleblowers in the path of Hurricane Florence warn of overflowing swine waste lagoons
Note: As climate change brings more intense and more frequent storms, we urge policymakers and corporations to take action to reduce harm from industrial hog operations. Our thoughts are with the people and animals in the path of Hurricane Florence. Hurricane Florence is set to hit roughly 3,300 open [...]
Protecting Whistleblowers in South Africa: How Well is the Law Working for People?
In 2000, South Africa became the third country in the world to adopt comprehensive legal protections for whistleblowers, following the US and UK. Similar to the UK, South Africa’s Public Disclosure Act requires victimized whistleblowers to file lawsuits in order to be reinstated to their jobs and compensated for financial [...]
Senator Warren Introduces Aggressive Anti-Corruption Legislation
On Tuesday, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) unveiled the Anti-Corruption and Public Integrity Act, a sweeping piece of legislation that takes aim at “both the appearance and the potential for financial conflicts of interest” among those working for the government. Among other measures, the legislation would completely overhaul the current state of lobbying by [...]
Internal Review of UN Whistleblower Policies Finds Fault
The United Nations Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) has released its Review of Whistle-Blower Policies and Practices in United Nations System Organizations.For practical purposes, the review is divided into three principal parts. First, based on an evaluation of relevant criteria and consultation with subject matter experts, the reviewers agree on best practices [...]
SEC Proposes Changes to Whistleblower Reward Program
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) decided in late June to propose changes to its reward program for whistleblowers. The potential changes provide a good opportunity to look at the pros and cons of the system. The motivation for the reward program is simple: given the risk of retaliation, there [...]