CBC News (Canada): Whistleblower Forced Investigation of TransCanada Pipeline

Summary: A former TransCanada engineer who worked on the Keystone XL pipeline reported substandard practices to Canada’s national energy regulator after his supervisors refused to act on the information. The agency launched an investigation into the allegations, and reprimanded the company. Specifically, the engineer warned about the lack of competency of some of the inspectors, and the failure to follow the welding guidelines set up by the regulator.

ABC News (Australia): Whistleblower Accuses Nuclear Agency of Cover-Up

Summary: An Australian nuclear whistleblower has accused the head of the country’s nuclear agency of covering up the contamination of three men at a facility in 2007. The agency head said, during a Senate hearing, that there was no risk of contamination before being interrupted by the whistleblower, who alleged that he “fabricated a false timeline, cut it up and deliberately misled.”

Edmonton Journal: Whistleblowers Can Help Prevent Future Food Fiascos

Summary: This op-ed by David Hutton, executive director of GAP's sister organization in Canada, Federal Accountability Initiative for Reform (FAIR), explains why consumers would be much safer if food inspectors and industry workers had adequate whistleblower protection. He alludes to the fact that workers aware of problems at XL Foods are unable to speak up without legal safeguards.

Prenatal Exposure to Mercury Linked to ADHD: Study

Summary: New research shows that children who are exposed to higher levels of mercury in the womb are more likely to exhibit attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms. GAP's Food Integrity Campaign draws attention to a concerning source of mercury in the American diet: high fructose corn syrup. GAP client and whistleblower Renee Dufault has published several articles on the topic since 2009.

Center for Public Integrity: Obama Order Protects Intelligence Community Whistleblowers

Summary: More coverage of the Presidential Policy Directive signed by President Obama least week, extending whistleblower protections to intelligence workers – protections that had been cut out of the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act, passed by the House last month.

Key Quote: In the meantime, Obama’s order "fills a vacuum," according to Tom Devine, a legal adviser to the Government Accountability Project, a Washington, D.C. nonprofit that provides legal support for government whistleblowers, including many working on national security matters. The order could function as a "beachhead" for further reforms in future legislation, he says.

Nursing Times: Whistleblowers Viewed as ‘Troublemakers’ in 70s, Says Leading Nurse

Summary: In the 1970s, any UK National Health Service nurses who spoke out about abuse or wrongdoing were labeled as “troublemakers.” This information has come out in light of allegations of sexual assault by a well-known radio show host who would visit hospitals for volunteer work or charity fundraising. 

Noted United Nations Whistleblower, Film Subject to Speak

(Washington, DC) – On Monday, Nov. 5, the Government Accountability Project (GAP) will kick off the second year of its acclaimed program, the American Whistleblower Tour: Essential Voices for Accountability, at the University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL). The stop will feature prominent UN whistleblower Kathryn Bolkovac, the inspiration for the 2011 film The Whistleblower, starring Rachel Weisz.

GAP's Tour is a dynamic campaign aimed at educating the public – particularly university students – about the phenomenon and practice of whistleblowing. This stop will feature a showing of The Whistleblower, followed by a moderated discussion with Bolkovac about her experiences. The event is free to all, and a full description of the Tour can be found at www.WhistleblowerTour.org.

This Tour stop is sponsored by GAP and UHCL, and is part of the University’s Film & Speaker series. The event will last from 7 p.m. – 10 p.m. at the University’s Bayou Theater.

Speakers

Kathryn Bolkovac is a former Nebraska policewoman who served as an International Police Task Force human rights investigator in Bosnia. Working for a private contracting firm assigned to support the UN peacekeeping mission in that country, she discovered that officers were involved in gross wrongdoing, including human trafficking and forced prostitution. After bringing her findings to light, she was retaliated against and fired. Fearing for her safety, Bolkovac fled the country. With the evidence she brought out with her, she exposed gross human rights violations and crimes, resulting in multiple officers being removed from their positions. Because this process had exposed Bolkovac to intense reprisal, she sued her employer and eventually won her lawsuit.

iPhone 5CNET: Developers – We Warned Apple about iOS Maps Quality

Summary: Since unveiling the new iPhone and the new iOS, Apple has been plagued with reports of its ineffective in-house maps app. Now, numerous developers are coming forward, saying they warned Apple about the poor quality of the maps since they were given a pre-release version in June.

The Republic (AZ): Whistleblower Who Exposed National Guard Misconduct Had ‘Target on his Back’

Summary: A National Guard recruiter who reported alleged misconduct by other soldiers became a target for retaliation for doing so. His report was followed by more allegations of wrongdoing, including shooting pedestrians with paintball guns, sexual misconduct, and recruiting “improprieties” – all of which were later substantiated by a military investigation.

Australian Associated Press: Lance Armstrong Is Accused of Using Intimidation and Threats to Stop Whistleblowers Going Public

Summary: Cyclist Lance Armstrong has been accused of trying to stop whistleblower reports of his alleged doping though intimidation and threats. Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned from the sport for life by the US Anti-Doping Agency, whose investigation found him to have orchestrated one of the most sophisticated doping program ever seen.

John KiriakouNational Security Whistleblowers Honored with Callaway Award

Summary: The 2012 Joe A. Callaway Awards for Civic Courage winners were announced this week, and all three are GAP clients: former CIA agent and torture whistleblower John Kiriakou, and NSA whistleblowers William Binney and J. Kirk Wiebe. The awards ceremony will take place on October 30 in Washington DC.

Government’s Fault That Espionage Act Cases Risk Press Freedom

Summary: Several journalists have been subpoenaed by the defense in the case against former CIA agent and torture whistleblower John Kiriakou, which has been called “a new challenge to press independence” by Secrecy News’ Steven Aftergood. GAP National Security & Human Rights Director Jesselyn Radack argues that this is the fault of the government, not the defense, for indicting Kiriakou and putting journalists at the center of the case. 

Related Article: Politico

Tri-City Herald (WA): Hanford Whistleblower’s Case Dismissed

Summary: Hanford nuclear whistleblower Walt Tamosaitis’ suit against URS Energy and Construction has been dismissed by a Washington state district court. Tamosaitis was challenging his termination from the plant in 2010, alleging he had been retaliated against for reporting his safety concerns.

XL Foods (Canada) Beef Plant Workers Call for Whistleblower Protections

Summary: According to a union group that represents workers at the XL Foods beef plant in Alberta, Canada, workers are afraid to come forward with safety concerns as a result of lacking whistleblower protections. GAP's Food Integrity Campaign likens their need for legal safeguards in Canada with the meat industry in the United States.

The latest unsealed court pleadings in the Espionage Act case against Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) whistleblower John Kiriakou reveal that Kiriakou's defense team has sought to subpoena journalists.

Steven Aftergood of Federation of American Scientists explained the pleadings, and he is right that the latest pleadings present "a new challenge to press independence." However, the subpoenas for journalist testimony are not the fault of Kiriakou, who revealed and opposed torture and will be awarded the Callaway Award for Civil Courage later this month.  Rather, it is the government that indicted Kiriakou and put journalists at the center of the case. The indictment against Kiriakou specifically outlines alleged contacts Kiriakou had with journalists, and the most serious charges are based on information Kiriakou allegedly gave to journalists. Certainly Kiriakou's defense team is entitled to test those accusations.

Josh Gerstein of Politico (who reported on one journalist's (Matthew Cole) shady-sounding involvement in April) had an astute observation on the subpoenas:

It's unclear precisely what information the defense is seeking from the journalists, but it may be seeking to demonstrate that some of the information the government contends it was making efforts to keep secret was in fact being circulated outside the government.

Kevin Gosztola of FireDogLake pointed out how the government's putting journalists at issue forced Kiriakou to subpoena the journalists to defend himself against a criminal indictment that threatens decades in prison:  

The government makes references to these three journalists in their indictment against Kiriakou, but they have refused to seek testimony from the journalists. This puts Kiriakou and his defense in a position where they can either request depositions and appear to be attacking freedom of the press or they can choose to not seek any more information on the journalists and the information, which the government is believed to be using for prosecution.

GAP Clients Kiriakou (CIA/Torture), Binney & Wiebe (NSA Wrongdoing) to Receive Award Oct. 30*

*UPDATE: The award ceremony has been rescheduled for Tuesday, November 13, 2012.

(Washington, DC) – Today, the Government Accountability Project (GAP) applauds the recent announcement of the 2012 Joe A. Callaway Awards for Civic Courage winners by the Shafeek Nader Trust for the Community Interest. This year’s awards recognize CIA torture whistleblower John Kiriakou, and NSA whistleblowers William Binney and J. Kirk Wiebe. All three recipients are GAP clients: national security whistleblowers who stood up for constitutional rights and American values, at great risk to their personal and professional lives.

GAP National Security & Human Rights Director Jesselyn Radack said of the awardees: “The Joe A. Callaway Award for Civic Courage is a tremendous honor, and hard won for whistleblowers Kiriakou, Binney and Wiebe considering all three were targets of a federal criminal investigation for telling the truth. They courageously spoke out against two of the biggest scandals of the George W. Bush administration: torture and warrantless domestic surveillance.”

Binney reacted to winning the award in stating “I am honored to receive this award and grateful to the Shafeek Nader Trust for the Community Interest. I view as my duty as a citizen to stand up and expose and oppose corrupt and criminal government activity.”

Wiebe stated: “I am at once humbled and honored to receive the Joe A. Callaway Award for Civic Courage. As you might imagine, the act of whistleblowing – telling the truth to uphold national precepts under the law – can be a lonely matter. Too many look the other way, fearing for their own positions or livelihoods. This award helps make it all worthwhile by reinforcing the notion that people still care – that the right thing should be done.”

Kiriakou, whose criminal case is still pending, said, “I am grateful for this award, which comes at a very difficult time for me and my family.”