Whistleblower of the Week

In this episode of the Whistleblower of the Week podcast, host Jane Turner talks to Nikhil Dey, the co-founder of Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS), a workers and peasant empowerment organization based in Rajasthan, India. 

MKSS has led transparency and anti-corruption movements across India, including for the Right to Information, minimum wage, protection for gig workers, and more. MKSS pioneered the practice of public audits, in which local officials report to communities how and where they spend the resources, giving citizens the chance to hold officials accountable.

Dey has been recognized for his grassroots activism, most recently being named one of 11 worldwide Anti-Corruption Champions by the U.S. Department of State.

In this episode, Turner and Dey discuss the nexus between whistleblowing and anti-corruption efforts. They also talk about the general state of whistleblower protections in India

Listen to the podcast on WNN or on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Amazon. Subscribe on your favorite platform!

 In this episode of the Whistleblower of the Week podcast, host Jane Turner talks to Dr. Jeremiah P. Johnson, founder and director of the Lamplighter Project. Dr. Johnson recognized a need to support law enforcement whistleblowers who reported criminal misconduct in 2016 from experience in his own police department.   

Jeremiah has served in various sworn and civilian roles across the criminal justice system, including policing, sentencing, and corrections. He began his law enforcement career in 2002 as a patrol officer for a Connecticut municipality, progressing to operational, administrative, and investigative roles. In 2021, Jeremiah was appointed to serve on the Connecticut Sentencing Commission. He currently works as an executive for an extensive city jail system.   

Jeremiah has a decade of teaching experience, delivering undergraduate and graduate courses at several institutions of higher learning. He holds a BA in Sociology from Geneva College, an MS in Justice Administration from Western Connecticut State University, an MA in Criminal Justice from John Jay College, and a PhD in Criminal Justice from the City University of New York Graduate Center.  

Listen to their discussion about his experience in law enforcement and reporting internal criminal misconduct, the culture of reporting, and how his organization is working to support individuals and change the industry for the better

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In this episode of the Whistleblower of the Week, Jane speaks with online disinformation specialist Dr. Joan Donovan, the former Technology and Social Change Research Project Director at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center.

Dr. Donovan blew the whistle on alleged improper donor influence at the Kennedy
School. She claims Harvard officials took cues and acted on behalf of Meta’s
interest while questioning her research methodologies, specifically regarding
Facebook.

In this week’s podcast, Joan tells Turner, “I wasn’t going to just sit there and
let this happen around me. I wasn’t going to say, ‘If you don’t want me to
research Facebook, I’ll just turn my eye onto something else,’ and I probably
could have, and the heat probably would have died down. But, because I kept the
pan hot, I got thrown into it.”

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In this episode of the Whistleblower of the Week podcast, FBI whistleblower Jane Turner speaks with Ottawa police whistleblower Constable Kimberly Cadarette, who faced retaliation for reporting sexual harassment within the Ottawa Police Department. 

Turner and Cadarette discuss their shared experience as female law enforcement whistleblowers and the sinister way “Fitness for Duty” exams were leveraged against them in retaliation for whistleblowing. 

Cadarette’s story of retaliation, including a psychologist who claimed to have not been present for her Fitness for Duty exam, is a must hear.

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Happy Holidays and A Happy New Year from the Whistleblower of the Week Team! 

In this episode of the Whistleblower of the Week podcast, FBI whistleblower Jane
Turner speaks with South African whistleblower Patrick Maduna and
whistleblower advocate John Clarke. Turner, Maduna and Clarke discuss Patrick’s whistleblowing: he blew the whistle on alleged financial mismanagement and fraud at his former employer Lociware, alleging that the company is a Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) front for dubious business dealings.

They also touch on the life-threatening dangers Maduna and his family have
faced since he blew the whistle as well as the advocacy work Clarke is doing to
help South African whistleblowers like Maduna.

Listen to the podcast on WNN or on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Amazon. Subscribe on your favorite platform!

In this episode of the Whistleblower of the Week podcast, FBI whistleblower Jane Turner speaks with law enforcement whistleblower Austin Handle, a former police officer in Georgia and the Vice-Chair of the Board of the Lamplighter Project.

Handle provides updates on his whistleblower retaliation case since Turner profiled him for Whistleblower of the Week back in 2020. Handle and Turner also discuss the establishment of the Lamplighter Project, which provides support to law enforcement whistleblowers.

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This week, WOW Host Jane Turner speaks with Ted Blickwedel. Blickwedel is a Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel and combat veteran who became a Licensed Clinical Social Worker after retiring. He blew the whistle on the VA’s productivity policies that put pressure on counselors who treat combat veterans. Blickwedel asserted the VA’s policies were harmful to counselors and compromised the quality of care for veterans. He describes his whistleblower journey and a blueprint for fellow whistleblowers to use from his lessons learned, which is featured in his book Broken Promises: Marine Combat Veteran Turns Whistleblower Exposing Compromised Mental Health Care at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Listen to the podcast on WNN or on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Amazon. Subscribe on your favorite platform!

In this episode of the Whistleblower of the Week podcast, FBI whistleblower Jane
Turner continues her conversation with Ashley Gjøvik. A former senior
engineering program manager at Apple, Gjøvik was fired from the tech giant after
raising a series of concerns including environmental concerns, violations of
employee privacy, harassment, and retaliation.

In this second part of a two-part podcast, Gjøvik and Turner discuss the ideals of
whistleblowing as well as a deeply researched piece on whistleblowing she wrote
for Covert Action Magazine.

If you missed it, check out part 1 of this conversation!

Listen to the podcast on WNN or on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Amazon. Subscribe on your favorite platform!

In this special episode of the Whistleblower of the Week podcast, FBI whistleblower Jane Turner records from Washington D.C., where she is in town to celebrate National Whistleblower Day on Capitol Hill.

Turner is joined by Whistleblower of the Week producer Victoria Thompson to discuss the Revolutionary War origins of National Whistleblower Day, the past decade of Senate National Whistleblower Day resolutions, and inspiring whistleblower stories.

“National Whistleblower Day is a time that allows whistleblowers and advocates to get together and share their journeys and experiences, learn new facts, and set the agenda for the future,” Jane explains.

Support the National Whistleblower Center  

Join the Campaign to Make National Whistleblower Day Permanent 

Read Rules for Whistleblowers to learn the complete history behind National Whistleblower Day

Listen to the podcast on WNN or on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Amazon. Subscribe on your favorite platform!

In this episode of the Whistleblower of the Week podcast, FBI whistleblower Jane
Turner talks with Ashley Gjøvik. A former senior engineering program manager at
Apple, Gjøvik was fired from the tech giant after raising a series of concerns
including environmental concerns, violations of employee privacy, harassment,
and retaliation.
In this first part of two-part podcast, Gjøvik recounts the story of how she blew
the whistle on Apple’s mishandling of an office complex built on a Superfund
site. Gjøvik discusses how her initial whistleblowing led to a long series of
retaliation and harassment.

Listen to the podcast on WNN or on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Amazon. Subscribe on your favorite platform!

In this episode of the Whistleblower of the Week podcast, FBI whistleblower Jane
Turner talks with Allison Herren Lee, former Commissioner of the SEC who now
serves as Of Counsel for the whistleblower defense law firm Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto. Turner and Lee discuss Lee’s experience working with whistleblowers at the SEC and how she saw their bravery firsthand. Lee also explains why after leaving the Commission she felt compelled to join a whistleblower defense firm.

“I saw firsthand what it meant in a case to have a whistleblower who was willing
to help, who was willing to come forward, who was willing to point out corruption,
legal violations, any number of issues,” Lee states. “And I also saw the price they
paid. So my view was quite firmly: these are partners in law enforcement and we
should do everything we can to protect them.”

Listen to the podcast on WNN or on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Amazon. Subscribe on your favorite platform!

In this episode of the Whistleblower of the Week podcast, FBI whistleblower Jane
Turner talks with the leading whistleblower attorney Stephen M. Kohn about the
release of his book, Rules for Whistleblowers. In this episode, we learn how whistleblowers have saved lives, stopped frauds, protected their jobs, and earned million-dollar rewards for doing the right thing.
Rules for Whistleblowers is Kohn’s seventh book on whistleblowing and is a fully
updated and expanded revision of The Whistleblower’s Handbook, the first-ever
comprehensive consumer guide to exposing workplace wrongdoing.
In the book, Kohn lays out thirty-five rules which highlight the “traps” facing
whistleblowers today and address how to file anonymous cases and qualify for
multi-million-dollar rewards. Kohn carefully explains complex rules governing
laws including the Dodd-Frank, IRS, and False Claims Acts, as well as detailed
strategies for fighting retaliation. He also covers controversial issues such as
taping, removing documents, and ignoring nondisclosure agreements.
More information on Kohn’s book Rules for Whistleblowers, including how to
order, is available here.

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“How do we make sure the hierarchy of laws is enacted in a different way because if we live in democracies, the interest of a single company or the market at large must not come before the interest of the population at large”

In this episode, FBI whistleblower Jane Turner has a follow up conversation  with Apple whistleblower Thomas Le Bonniec. Le Bonniec explains the legality of Non Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) in the technology industry after blowing the whistle on Apple. Thomas and Jane chat about the NDAs he had to sign and how they are hindering the growth of democracy. They also discuss what happens when an American company has a whistleblower who is not American. Thomas talks about his case in the US as well as other Apple whistleblowers out in the public eye.

Read Thomas' story on WNN or listen to his first podcast to find out more about his story. 

Listen to the podcast on WNN or on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Amazon. Subscribe on your favorite platform!

Listen to the podcast on WNN or on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Amazon. Subscribe on your favorite platform!

In the first part of FBI whistleblower Jane Turner’s interview with Social Security whistleblowers Sarah Carver and Jennifer Griffith, listeners learned about the two women’s whistleblowing story in their own words. Carver and Griffith detailed how they found out about the over half a billion dollar defrauding of the Social Security system and uncovered corrupt judges, doctors, and attorney Eric Conn’s fraudulent scheme. Now, find out more about the aftermath of their disclosures, the investigations into Conn’s activity, and what “The Big Conn” on AppleTV+ left out. 

This episode takes a deep dive into the investigations into the huge fraud committed against the Social Security Administration — and examines Carver and Griffith’s role in exposing the scheme and tireless efforts to be heard. Listen now!

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In this episode of the Whistleblower of the Week podcast, FBI whistleblower Jane Turner talks with Sarah Carver and Jennifer Griffith, whistleblowers who exposed an over half a billion dollar defrauding of the Social Security system. Carver and Griffith are stars of “The Big Conn,” a four-part docuseries on AppleTV+ that profiles Eric Conn, an eccentric lawyer who worked in Eastern Kentucky and committed massive fraud through a scheme involving disability cases. 

Carver and Griffith tell the story in their own words, from their start at the Social Security Administration to becoming key whistleblowers in uncovering Conn’s scheme, which also involved corrupt judges and doctors. Carver and Griffith talk about how they discovered that there was something suspicious occurring in their office. 

Carver and Griffith talk about the severe retaliation they faced, their years-long journey blowing the whistle, and also share an exciting announcement! Be sure to catch this engaging part 1 of Turner’s interview with these brave whistleblowers. Subscribe on your favorite platform, and check out video versions of #WhistlebloweroftheWeek interviews on WNN's YouTube channel!

Listen to the podcast on WNN or on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Amazon. Subscribe on your favorite platform!

In this episode of the Whistleblower of the Week podcast, FBI whistleblower Jane Turner talks with Georgina Halford-Hall, Chief Executive of WhistleblowersUK, and Stephen Kohn, leading whistleblower attorney and founding partner of Kohn, Kohn and Colapinto LLP. The trio discusses the first-ever Whistleblowing Awareness Week, which will take place in the U.K. from March 20-24. 

Georgina Halford-Hall talks about the impetus for having a week recognizing whistleblowers in the U.K. , who will be involved in the event, and how viewers can access the content. She talks with Kohn and Turner about whistleblowing legislation in the U.K., how it compares to legislation in the U.S., and emphasizes that protecting whistleblowers is an international issue. Don’t miss this conversation with three giants in the whistleblowing community

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In this episode, FBI whistleblower Jane Turner talks with law enforcement whistleblower Raymond Hicks, author of I’m Still Standing. Hicks tells Turner about what sparked his interest in becoming a law enforcement officer and details his beginnings in law enforcement, earning awards and accolades at his job. He then talks about what detailed his career - speaking out about illicit activities in which his colleagues were involved.

Hicks and Turner discuss police whistleblowers, accountability in law enforcement, and much more in this moving episode: listen now!

WNN also published a video version of this podcast on YouTube!

Listen to the podcast on WNN or on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Amazon. Subscribe on your favorite platform!

In this episode of the Whistleblower of the Week podcast, Enron whistleblower Sherron Watkins is asking the questions as FBI whistleblower Jane Turner serves as the interviewee.

On the podcast, Turner announces an exciting new initiative that is wholly by whistleblowers, for whistleblowers: urging President Biden to sign an Executive Order and permanently recognize National Whistleblower Day. Turner and Watkins talk about the specifics of the campaign: what it looks like, who’s involved, and how fellow whistleblowers and advocates can help! Learn more about the campaign to make National Whistleblower Day permanent on WNN's website, and check out a video version of this episode on WNN's YouTube channel.  

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In this episode, FBI whistleblower Jane Turner talks with Matthew Hoh, who was deployed to Iraq twice as a Marine. He was diagnosed with PTSD and traumatic brain injury after returning to the U.S. In 2009, Hoh sent a letter of resignation to then-Ambassador Nancy Powell outlining his reasons for leaving his post as a Senior Civilian Representative in Zabul Province.

During the episode, Hoh begins his interview with Turner about his studies in college and losing his faith and then delves into his military service. He talks about his experiences in Iraq, the destructive impacts of wartime, and his resignation letter that pointed out glaring corruption and graft, among other things. 

Listen to the podcast on WNN or on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Amazon. Subscribe on your favorite platform!