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Dissenter Weekly

Dissenter Weekly

By Kevin Gosztola

"Dissenter Weekly" highlights the latest whistleblower stories and concludes every week with an update on the case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. It is a companion to the Dissenter Newsletter, a publication committed to promoting whistleblowing as a human right.
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Dissenter Weekly: Whistleblowing In South Africa, COVID-19 App Fiasco In UK

Dissenter Weekly Aug 20, 2021

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Dissenter Weekly: Tesla CEO Elon Musk Mocks Whistleblowers, Tributes To Ian Fishback and Phil Saviano

Dissenter Weekly: Tesla CEO Elon Musk Mocks Whistleblowers, Tributes To Ian Fishback and Phil Saviano

Join Shadowproof's Kevin Gosztola, who curates The Dissenter Newsletter, as he goes through whistleblower stories for the week of December 2.    

Stories include:  

*Biden Administration Continues Retaliation Against a Migratory Bird Whistleblower
*NSA Whistleblower Reality Winner's Prison Sentence Ends
*Tesla CEO Elon Musk Mocks Whistleblowers With 'Cyberwhistle'

Plus, tributes to whistleblowers Ian Fishback and Phil Saviano, who died during the past couple weeks.

Make sure you hit the subscribe button. If  you're a fan of this kind of journalism, become a paid subscriber of The  Dissenter Newsletter at https://thedissenter.org

Dec 03, 202120:32
US Energy Department Dynamites Radioactive Site—Plus, Whistleblowers Expose Massacre In Syria

US Energy Department Dynamites Radioactive Site—Plus, Whistleblowers Expose Massacre In Syria

Join Shadowproof's Kevin Gosztola, who curates The Dissenter Newsletter, as he goes through whistleblower stories for the week of November 18.   

Stories include:  

*US Energy Department Blows Up Cold War-Era Radioactive Facility  

*Bureau Of Prisons Brushes Aside Allegations Of Misconduct By Wardens, Senior Staff  

*Pentagon And Its Overseers Suppressed Whistleblowers Who Challenged Massacre In Syria  

We also have an update on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's case.  

Make sure you hit the subscribe button and please like our video. If you're a fan of this kind of journalism, become a paid subscriber of The Dissenter Newsletter at https://thedissenter.org

Nov 18, 202118:19
USA Today Investigates 'Blue Wall Of Silence' At Police Departments—Plus, Assange Getting Married

USA Today Investigates 'Blue Wall Of Silence' At Police Departments—Plus, Assange Getting Married

Join Kevin Gosztola, the curator of The Dissenter Newsletter, as he goes through whistleblower stories for the week of November 11.   

Stories include:  

*Major Investigation By USA Today Exposes 'Blue Wall Of Silence' And How Police Crush Whistleblowers  

*Lacking Inspectors, OSHA Will Depend On Whistleblowing Employees To Enforce Vaccine Mandate  

*Whistleblower Exposes FDA's Lax Oversight Of Pfizer Vaccine Trial  

We also have an update on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's case that highlights some good news—Belmarsh prison has backed down and will allow Assange to marry Stella Moris. They plan to get married before 2022.  

Make sure you follow/subscribe and please review the podcast. If you're a fan of this kind of journalism, become a paid subscriber of The Dissenter Newsletter at https://thedissenter.org

Nov 11, 202116:48
Dissenter Weekly: Whistleblower Stories For The Week Of November 4

Dissenter Weekly: Whistleblower Stories For The Week Of November 4

Kevin Gosztola, the Shadowproof managing editor and curator of The Dissenter newsletter, goes through whistleblower stories from the week of November 4.   

This week's stories include the expansion of a whistleblower protection law in New York that could benefit workers and a Colorado mental hospital that a whistleblower says is keeping patients in the facility in "unwarranted confinement."  

The show concludes with an update on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's case.

Nov 04, 202112:36
Dissenter Weekly: South African Whistleblower Murdered, FBI Whistleblower Speaks Out

Dissenter Weekly: South African Whistleblower Murdered, FBI Whistleblower Speaks Out

In this edition of “Dissenter Weekly,” Kevin Gosztola goes through whistleblower stories from the week of September 2, 2021.

We cover a South African whistleblower who was murdered. She was reportedly targeted in a professional hit job by several gunmen, who were arrested.

The show also highlights latest developments with the Environmental Protection Agency and their corruption, which continues as a service to particular industries like the chemical industry.

Finally, the show concludes with some highlights from a New York Times Magazine feature on FBI whistleblower Terry Albury.

Sep 04, 202124:55
Dissenter Weekly: Australian Witness In Afghanistan War Crimes Inquiry Was Bombed—Plus, Ag-Gag Laws

Dissenter Weekly: Australian Witness In Afghanistan War Crimes Inquiry Was Bombed—Plus, Ag-Gag Laws

In this edition of “Dissenter Weekly,” Kevin Gosztola goes through whistleblower stories from the week of August 26, 2021.

We cover an investigation by the Australia Broadcasting Corporation that found a witness in an Afghanistan war crimes inquiry was relocated after their home was bombed.

The show highlights Representative Ilhan Omar's letter to President Joe Biden urging him to pardon drone whistleblower Daniel Hale.

Toward the end, Kevin goes over the passage of a law backed by Big Agriculture in Iowa that makes audio or video recording in a "trespassing" crime. He also covers a lawsuit from a police whistleblower against the city of Louisville, who alleges retaliation.

Aug 26, 202147:13
Dissenter Weekly: Whistleblowing In South Africa, COVID-19 App Fiasco In UK

Dissenter Weekly: Whistleblowing In South Africa, COVID-19 App Fiasco In UK

We highlight a report from Corruption Watch in South Africa on thousands of whistleblower complaints against municipalities (or local governments) over the past nine years.  

The show covers an article from The Guardian on a whistleblower who exposed a major problem with an app being used by the United Kingdom to notify residents that they were exposed to COVID-19.

In the conclusion, Kevin goes over a few stories reported at The Dissenter on drone whistleblower Brandon Bryant and whistleblowing against the Afghanistan War. He also takes an opportunity to rant against State Department spokesperson Ned Price, the Biden administration, and their refusal to publicly defend prosecuting WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

Aug 20, 202147:55
Dissenter Weekly: The Filmmaker Who Chronicles National Security Whistleblowers

Dissenter Weekly: The Filmmaker Who Chronicles National Security Whistleblowers

In this special edition of the “Dissenter Weekly,” Kennebeck discusses “National Bird” and working with Hale, as well as her two most recent films, “The United States vs. Reality Winner” and “Enemies of the State.”

She describes what led her to chronicle the stories of Reality Winner, Matt DeHart, and the drone whistleblowers in “National Bird.” And we delve a little bit into the struggle of making films that involve subject matters, which are all too often shrouded in secrecy.

Aug 13, 202151:22
Dissenter Weekly: Corporate Capture Of The EPA's Chemical Risk Assessment System

Dissenter Weekly: Corporate Capture Of The EPA's Chemical Risk Assessment System

We return to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and tampered chemical risk assessments. In the latest story from journalist Sharon Lerner, an EPA scientist exposes "hair on fire" cases that reflect the way industry interests are interfering with and obstructing regulation of hazardous chemicals.

The show continues with coverage of the corruption around contractors at Fort Bliss, where thousands of undocumented migrant children have been held. Seemingly, none of the contractors hired by the Health and Human Services (HHS) Department have child care experience.

Kevin concludes with some discussion of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's sexual harassment scandal and the culture of fear and intimidation in his office that is heavily documented in a report from the New York Attorney General's Office. There also is an update on drone whistleblower Daniel Hale and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

Aug 06, 202129:06
Dissenter Weekly: US Prosecutors Play Dirty In Daniel Hale's Case—Plus, Pegasus Project

Dissenter Weekly: US Prosecutors Play Dirty In Daniel Hale's Case—Plus, Pegasus Project

In this edition of “Dissenter Weekly,” host Kevin Gosztola goes through whistleblower stories from the week of July 22, 2021.

We begin with coverage of Pegasus, the spyware sold by the Israeli surveillance company to governments, especially those with good or improved relations with the Israeli government.

Our main story of the week is the vindictiveness of United States government prosecutors, who urged a federal judge to sentence drone whistleblower Daniel Hale to nine years in prison.

We conclude with an update on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and highlight Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's support for Assange's freedom.

Jul 24, 202142:33
Dissenter Weekly: Rogue Police Force At US Commerce Department—Plus, Amnesty International On US 'Assurances' About Assange

Dissenter Weekly: Rogue Police Force At US Commerce Department—Plus, Amnesty International On US 'Assurances' About Assange

We begin with coverage of a report from a United States Senate committee that examined a unit in the Commerce Department that is supposed to provide security to the Commerce Secretary yet has mutated into a rogue and unaccountable police force.

In a follow-up to a story from a previous week, we cover EPA staff who were instructed not to talk to reporters. The instruction came after media coverage of the EPA's alleged tampering of chemical risk assessments.

Toward the end of the broadcast, we cover Amnesty International's response to the US government's "assurances" around how WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will be treated if extradited. The human rights organization contends it would be "risky" for the British government to accept them.

Bonus: We have a conversation about all this talk around a "violent crime wave" that has nothing to do with whistleblowers but develops from Shadowproof's regular work on policing and incarceration.  

Jul 16, 202159:07
Dissenter Weekly: EPA Scientists Expose Tampered Chemical Risk Assessments—Plus, Assange Appeal

Dissenter Weekly: EPA Scientists Expose Tampered Chemical Risk Assessments—Plus, Assange Appeal

In this edition of “Dissenter Weekly,” host Kevin Gosztola goes through whistleblower stories from the week of July 8, 2021.

The show starts with coverage of four EPA scientists who exposed how the agency is tampering with risk assessments for chemicals that may cause cancer, birth defects, or neurological problems.

Toward the end of the broadcast, we cover the UK High Court of Justice's decision to grant the United States government an appeal in the extradition case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. 

Jul 09, 202135:49
Dissenter Weekly: CFTC Whistleblower Program Saved, Pentagon Whistleblower Franz Gayl

Dissenter Weekly: CFTC Whistleblower Program Saved, Pentagon Whistleblower Franz Gayl

In this edition of “Dissenter Weekly,” host Kevin Gosztola goes through a few whistleblower stories from the week of June 24, 2021.

We begin by highlighting a positive development with the Commodities Futures Trading Commission's whistleblower reward program that was finally saved by the United States House of Representatives.

At the end of this edition, we detail the response against Pentagon whistleblower Franz Gayl's articles warnings of the risks if the U.S. was pulled into a war with China over Taiwan.

Jun 25, 202142:13
Dissenter Weekly: Reality Winner Released To Home Confinement, Therapist Betrayed Drone Whistleblower

Dissenter Weekly: Reality Winner Released To Home Confinement, Therapist Betrayed Drone Whistleblower

In this edition of “Dissenter Weekly,” host Kevin Gosztola goes through a few whistleblower stories from the week of June 17, 2021.

Two of the stories were covered at The Dissenter—the release of NSA whistleblower Reality Winner from federal prison and how drone whistleblower Daniel Hale was jailed after a therapist betrayed him.

We conclude with coverage of the scandal around subpoenas by President Donald Trump's Justice Department. Establishment news reporters and House Democrats were targeted. Several had their records seized, and it has sparked an investigation by the inspectoral general for the DOJ.

Jun 18, 202133:02
Dissenter Weekly: FinCEN Files Whistleblower Sentenced, Whistleblower Craig Murray's Request To Appeal Conviction Denied

Dissenter Weekly: FinCEN Files Whistleblower Sentenced, Whistleblower Craig Murray's Request To Appeal Conviction Denied

For paid subscribers of The Dissenter Newsletter, this is the edition of the "Dissenter Weekly" for the week of June 10, 2021.

It covered the Supreme Court decision that limited the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), FinCEN Files whistleblower sentenced to six months in prison, and several police whistleblowing stories.

Jun 11, 202137:48