Temat: WHISTLEBLOWER NEWS 2013 – 18.

Washington Post: Documents Reveal NSA’s Extensive Involvement in Targeted Killing Program
Summary: The latest explosive revelation from the Snowden disclosures details how the CIA relies heavily on NSA programs in carrying out its drone assassination program.

Too Big to Jail?
Summary: In a series from Bank of America/Countrywide whistleblower Michael Winston, who witnessed firsthand the abuse that led to the 2008 global financial crisis. In the piece, he asks why – years later – none of the bank executives who led the industry into the ground have been held accountable for their wrongdoing. The question spreads beyond the inherent lack of transparency in the banking sector to the lack of oversight and enforcement in the US justice system largely responsible for holding the financial giants accountable.

Washington Post: NSA Collects Millions of Email Address Books Globally
Summary: In the latest major revelation from the disclosures of NSA surveillance whistleblower Edward Snowden, the NSA “is harvesting hundreds of millions of contact lists from personal e-mail and instant messaging accounts around the world” which includes those of many Americans. The NSA is collecting this information in bulk, rather than targeting certain individuals.

Democracy Now!: ‘Edward Snowden is a Patriot’
Summary: Yesterday, the three whistleblowers and one activist who traveled to Russia to present Snowden with the Sam Adams award were featured in a long, round-table discussion on Democracy Now!

ABC News: Julian Assange – Surveillance Apparatus ‘A Threat to US Democracy’
Summary: Julian Assange appeared on ABC’s This Week yesterday to discuss his problems with the new film about WikiLeaks (The Fifth Estate), rebut claims from the heads of MI5 and the NSA about the dire consequences of the Snowden disclosures, and talk about the Sam Adams award bestowed on the whistleblower.

FAIR Canada: Ryanair Safety Row – Whistleblower Pilot Sacked
Summary: Low-cost Irish airline Ryanair fired one of its longtime pilots after he appeared in a documentary that addressed concerns about the company’s safety policy. In the film, the pilot talks about incidents when he was forced to call in emergency alerts because his aircraft was low on fuel. The airline said the pilot was fired for “gross misconduct” and that they “look forward to correcting” the pilot’s claims in court.

WICS: Mayor Introduces Whistleblower Protection
Summary: The mayor of Springfield, Illinois is introducing a citywide Whistleblower Protection Policy, just months after asking the Illinois State Police to investigate a local news channel for reporting on illegally shredded police department documents. The legislation protects employee’s confidentiality and prohibits retaliation, though a city official quoted in the article says the move by the mayor is little more than an “election season gimmick.”

New York Times: Peacekeeping by UN Faces New Scrutiny on 2 Fronts
Summary: A report released by Transparency International UK yesterday takes on the international body’s peacekeeping operations, and the rampant corruption and lack of accountability that exists therein. GAP client James Wasserstrom, a whistleblower on corruption in the UN’s peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, responded to the report in a GAP press release, calling it “the latest in a string of evidence that proves the United Nations lacks basic measures of real accountability.”

Wall Street Journal: Czech Senate Overwhelmingly Rejects Whistleblower Bill
Summary: Czech Senator Libor Michalek, the author of the country’s first whistleblower protection bill, initially expressed some doubts about the support it will receive from his peers. Getting such legislation passed presents a challenge in a country where “most voters believe graft remains rampant in public administration.”

Full texts: http://www.whistleblower.org/