Welcome to Eureka Street

back to site

Keywords: Whistleblower

  • INTERNATIONAL

    Globalizing the US Espionage Act: The Assange plea deal

    • Binoy Kampmark
    • 01 July 2024

    Julian Assange, once confined to Britain’s most forbidding maximum-security prison, is now free after pleading guilty to a single conspiracy charge. This unexpected twist in the WikiLeaks saga, involving complex negotiations and political maneuvering, could have profound implications for press freedom and the future of journalism worldwide.

    READ MORE
  • AUSTRALIA

    The Sentencing of David McBride

    • Binoy Kampmark
    • 11 June 2024

    Former Australian military lawyer David McBride was convicted for leaking documents to the ABC which exposed war crimes in Afghanistan. He is the sole individual to be convicted in exposing alleged atrocities in the Afghanistan campaign by Australian special forces. 

    READ MORE
  • AUSTRALIA

    Lest we regret

    • Barry Gittins
    • 21 March 2024
    4 Comments

    Considering how whistleblowers were punished for reporting the misdeeds of our warriors alongside the judicial exposure of war crimes, we've experienced something of a cultural about-face when it comes to celebrating the Anzac mythos. 

    READ MORE
  • AUSTRALIA

    Absolute obedience: David McBride and the limits of duty

    • Binoy Kampmark
    • 30 November 2023
    3 Comments

    Charged with breaching national security for exposing alleged war crimes by Australian forces in Afghanistan, former Australian military lawyer David McBride's trial in Canberra rekindles a debate that tests the boundaries of military obedience and public interest. At the heart of this legal battle lies the question: when does the duty to expose wrongdoing outweigh the duty to follow orders?  

    READ MORE
  • AUSTRALIA

    The plight of the Australian whistleblower

    • Binoy Kampmark
    • 09 November 2023
    1 Comment

    Next week, former army lawyer David McBride will face trial, accused of leaking classified defence information. Meanwhile, the prospect of meaningful whistleblower reforms that would shield Australian public servants who contemplate exposing wrongdoing through the media seems remote.

    READ MORE
  • INTERNATIONAL

    Ellsberg's whistleblowing legacy

    • Binoy Kampmark
    • 08 August 2023
    1 Comment

    Before WikiLeaks, Daniel Ellsberg's release of the Pentagon Papers exposed U.S. deceptions in the Vietnam War. His journey from defence analyst to whistleblower leaves a legacy that resonates today. In an era where transparency is often overshadowed by retaliation, Ellsberg's story stands as a sobering reminder of the cost of truth.

    READ MORE
  • CARTOON

    In the key of cruelty

    • Fiona Katauskas
    • 11 June 2019
    1 Comment

    READ MORE
  • INTERNATIONAL

    Manning mercy belies double standard on whistleblowers

    • Binoy Kampmark
    • 19 January 2017
    5 Comments

    Manning became the victim of an institutional drive to target whistleblowers, with the centrepiece of the prosecution focusing on computer crimes and the Espionage Act. Despite the eventual commutation of her 35 year sentence, the severity of that sentence demonstrated the gulf between the cosy, public relations air of an administration keen to project certain achievements and its stomping on those keen to disclose inappropriate and illegal conduct in the security and intelligence services.

    READ MORE
  • MEDIA

    History will pardon Snowden even if Obama won't

    • Binoy Kampmark
    • 22 September 2016
    9 Comments

    The relationship between the whistleblower and journalism has not always been a neat one. The tendency for symbiosis to become positively vengeful is evidenced in the Washington Post stance on Edward Snowden's whistleblowing activities. Having scooped up a Pulitzer working on the Snowden findings, the paper got nasty. There was little need for the paper to wade into these waters, but the editors obviously felt so strongly about Snowden it went for the jugular with seething conviction.

    READ MORE
  • CARTOON

    Pulling out all the stops

    • Fiona Katauskas
    • 01 July 2015
    2 Comments

    View this week's offering from Eureka Street's award winning political cartoonist.

    READ MORE
  • AUSTRALIA

    Whistleblowing and other new crimes

    • Fatima Measham
    • 26 June 2015
    7 Comments

    Ministerial discretion over citizenship can't replace court processes. Such executive overreach, which contradicts democratic principle, has already found expression in law. From July 1st, workers involved in immigration detention, including doctors and teachers, are subject to two years imprisonment for speaking publicly about what they witness. In other words, whistleblowing has been penalised.

    READ MORE
  • ARTS AND CULTURE

    Blessed are the whistleblowers

    • Gillian Bouras
    • 02 October 2013
    12 Comments

    The International Day of Non-Violence on 2 October coincides with the birthday of Gandhi, who pioneered the concept of political non-violence and the notion of passive resistance, and paid the highest price for his moral choices. A great many people, like Gandhi, desire a non-violent world, in which whistleblowers and thoughtful, idealistic individuals are honoured rather than punished.

    READ MORE