Courtesy of Flickr user Fibonacci BlueBaltimore Sun: Defense Suggests Accused WikiLeaker Was Troubled Soldier
Summary: The pre-trial hearing of Bradley Manning – the soldier accused of giving classified documents to WikiLeaks – is set to start Friday. Papers filed by Manning’s attorney suggest that the soldier was struggling with mental health and emotional problems. He was also troubled by the US involvement in Iraq and felt isolated by the fact that he was gay in the time of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
The Independent (UK): Abuse Hotline for Care Homes Has 2,000 Calls in Six Months
Summary: In the first six months of its existence, a national UK whistleblowing hotline for hospitals and care homes has received 2,000 calls alleging abuse and neglect. The hotline was set up in the wake of a scandal at a UK care home where abuse of the learning disabled patients was exposed by an investigative television program.
Daily Scene: Whistleblower Blows Lid Off Sneaky Smartphone App
Summary: A whistleblower has revealed that, allegedly, an Android app – “secretly installed on certain brands of smartphones” – logs major amounts of personal data (texts, phone numbers, internet searches, etc.) without the consent of the users and then turns the data over to the mobile phone carrier.
Related Article: Wired
Associated Press: New Concerns About Hanford Nuclear Waste
Summary: Completion of the Hanford Vitrification Plant – which would convert radioactive waste into a stable and storable glass-like substance – is going to cost hundreds of millions of dollars more than an already multi-billion dollar inflated budget, and may take longer to build than originally believed. The original vitrification construction budget was set under $6 billion, it has since exploded to at least $12 billion.
In addition, a number of workers-turned-whistleblowers have raised concerns about the safety of the plant’s design. Two workers, including former Hanford nuclear whistleblower Walt Tamosaitis, have filed whistleblower suits, alleging they were retaliated against after raising the concerns.
Related Article: Tri-City Herald (WA)
Hannah Johnson is Communications Associate for the Government Accountability Project, the nation's leading whistleblower protection and advocacy organization.
