Temat: WHISTLEBLOWER NEWS 2013 – 20. GAP's mission is to promote...

The Guardian: Whistleblowers Need a Strong Safety Net, Say Civil Society Heads
November 1, 2013
Summary: This conference occurred days before today’s release by Transparency International showing that the “vast majority of EU member states have either partial or no laws to protect whistleblowers.” The report shows that seven countries “have no or ‘very limited’ provisions to protect whistleblowers,” 16 states have "partial provisions," and “only Luxembourg, Romania, Slovenia and the UK have laws that include ‘comprehensive or near comprehensive’ procedures for whistleblowers.”

Voice of Russia: Low Taxes, High Toxins – BP in the Gulf
Summary: More coverage of GAP’s report, Deadly Dispersants in the Gulf, which details the devastating long-term effects on human health and the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem stemming from BP and the federal government's widespread use of the dispersant Corexit, in response to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This piece features an interview with GAP investigator Shanna Devine, lead author on the report.

Jamaica Gleaner: Informant in Limbo – Still No Gov't Funding for Whistleblower Watchdog
Summary: It’s been three years since Jamaica voted to grant authority to an agency to conduct oversight for whistleblower protection, but the program is still not in operation.

CNN: $168 Million Payout to Johnson & Johnson Whistleblowers
Summary: Johnson & Johnson settled a whistleblower suit that alleged the company “marketed drugs for unapproved uses and gave kickbacks to doctors and nursing homes.” Whistleblowers who worked to bring the suit will collect approximately $167 million.
In other settlement news, California-based hospital chain Sutter Health has agreed to pay $46 million and be more transparent with its pricing, in order to settle a whistleblower complaint that alleged “false and misleading charges for anesthesia.”

New York Times: No Morsel Too Miniscule for All-Consuming NSA
Summary: This piece states that 50,000 documents (provided by NSA surveillance whistleblower Edward Snowden) detail intelligence collection "from the Navy ships snapping up radio transmissions as they cruise off the coast of China, to the satellite dishes at Fort Meade in Maryland ingesting worldwide banking transactions, to the rooftops of 80 American embassies and consulates around the world from which the agency’s Special Collection Service aims its antennas."

CNN: Whistleblowers – Homeland Employees Earn OT While Watching TV
Summary: The Office of Special Counsel is investigating allegations of overtime abuse at five Department of Homeland Security locations, including facilities in Washington DC, Georgia, California and Texas. According to the agency, overtime was routinely given to employees who frequently spent that time watching sports and entertainment channels, resulting in an abuse of $8.7 million annually.

Courier-Journal: Former University of Louisville Employee Wins $412,000 Whistleblower Verdict
Summary: The former director of marketing publications at the University of Louisville who was fired days after complaining about wasteful spending has won her retaliation case. The jury ruled that the university violated Kentucky's whistleblower law and awarded the whistleblower $412,000 in back pay and damages.

WPTV: FAU Drug Whistleblower Applauded by Students
Summary: Florida Atlantic University's assistant football coach blew the whistle on alleged drug use by the team's head coach and defensive coordinator, both of whom resigned last week. Students responded to the news, with one sophomore stating she admired the assistant's move to speak up.

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