What is a whistleblower?

Civics 101

NHPR

Government, History, Society & Culture

4.2 • 2.6K Ratings

🗓️ 6 August 2024

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Choosing to blow the whistle on the U.S. government is a big deal. It's a huge risk and, despite legal protections, can result in major negative repercussions. So why do people do it? What happens to them when they do? What protections do they have, and do those protections work? Our guides to the process are Kathleen McClella, Deputy Director at WHISPeR, Danielle Brian, Executive Director and President of the Project on Government Oversight and Chris Appy, Professor of History at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. CLICK HERE: Visit our website to see all of our episodes, donate to the podcast, sign up for our newsletter, get free educational materials, and more! To see Civics 101 in book form, check out A User's Guide to Democracy: How America Works by Hannah McCarthy and Nick Capodice, featuring illustrations by Tom Toro. Check out our other weekly NHPR podcast, Outside/In - we think you'll love it! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	These latest leaks in Edward Stoden's campaign seem to be time for maximum embarrassment
0:11.0	for the U.S US and the president?
0:12.8	Well, I don't think he's a hero.
0:15.4	Obviously the government was over surveilling more than they were being honest with the public,
0:19.2	but this is not a simple whistleblower gets caught up.
0:21.9	This is, man decides to betray his country,
0:24.3	leave with secrets. We could not have carried off the bin Laden raid if it was on the
0:28.5	front page of the papers. Tonight in a shocking move, President Obama is allowing Chelsea Manning the Army Private
0:34.9	convicted of stealing and leaking hundreds of thousands of documented videos
0:39.2	to be a free woman in May. You're listening to Civics 101, I'm Nicapadiche.
0:51.6	I'm Hannah McCarthy. And today we are talking about a rare
0:54.7	breed of individuals and the dangerous and often controversial path they tread. We're
1:01.7	talking about whistleblowers and we're talking about whistleblowers.
1:04.0	And we're talking about people who spill secrets, right?
1:07.5	Right, and the people who spill the secrets versus the secrets they spill.
1:12.0	That's actually going to be an important distinction here.
1:14.9	But we're gonna get to that in a little bit.
1:16.6	First, let's start with the basics.
1:18.8	Please, Nick, what is a whistleblower?
1:23.2	So a whistleblower is someone who reveals information in the public interest
1:28.8	that exposes waste, fraud, abuse, or gross mismanagement, or a violation of law, rule, or regulation.
1:37.6	This is Kathleen McLellen.
	...

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