Let’s talk about Reality Winner, a former U.S. Air Force linguist convicted for leaking classified information to the media in 2017. Winner’s story highlights the challenges and risks faced by whistleblowers and the importance of standing with those who speak out against government wrongdoing.
Winner’s case began in 2017 when she worked as a National Security Agency contractor. She found evidence of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and decided to share it with the media. Winner printed out a classified report and mailed it to an online news outlet. The report revealed that Russian military intelligence had hacked into U.S. voting systems before the 2016 election.
When the FBI searched Winner’s home, they found evidence that she had printed out the classified report and sent it to the media. Winner was arrested and charged under the Espionage Act, a World War I-era law that criminalizes the leaking of classified information. She was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison, the longest sentence ever handed down for a federal crime related to leaking classified information.
Winner’s case illustrates the challenges faced by whistleblowers in the United States. Whistleblowers who speak out against government wrongdoing often face retaliation, including criminal prosecution and lengthy prison sentences.
The Espionage Act has been criticized for being overly broad and not providing adequate protection for whistleblowers. The law makes no distinction between leaks that harm national security and those that serve the public interest. As a result, whistleblowers who reveal information in the public interest can be prosecuted under the same law as those who reveal information that harms national security.
In Winner’s case, her actions were in the public interest, as they revealed information about a serious threat to U.S. election security. Nevertheless, she was prosecuted under the Espionage Act and received a long prison sentence. This sends a chilling message to others considering speaking out against government wrongdoing.
In light of this, Americans must stand with Reality Winner and other whistleblowers who risk their lives to keep us aware, protected, and to defend the U.S. Constitution. Whistleblowers play a vital role in keeping our government accountable and protecting our rights and freedoms. They often face significant retaliation and personal sacrifice for speaking out.
One way to stand with whistleblowers is to support efforts to reform the Espionage Act and other laws that are used to prosecute whistleblowers. This could include efforts to provide greater protection for whistleblowers who reveal information in the public interest, as well as efforts to create a more robust legal framework for protecting whistleblowers from retaliation.
The sad part is the Espionage Act has been used to prosecute and terrorize whistleblowers and leakers in recent years, even though it was not intended to be used in this way. Those of us who care about the future of this nation must not allow our law to be turned against heroes attempting to warn the American people.
Another way to stand with whistleblowers is to support and donate to organizations that provide legal assistance, financial support, and counseling services to whistleblowers. These organizations can help whistleblowers navigate the legal system and cope with the trauma of negative government propaganda and having citizens turn on them.
It is also important to stand with whistleblowers by supporting media outlets that publish their information and defend them when our government turns on them. The media plays a critical role in bringing government wrongdoing to light, and we must support journalists and news organizations that are not in the pocket of the local, state, or federal government.
Let’s stand with whistleblowers by speaking out against retaliation and supporting them when they come forward. Too often, whistleblowers are dismissed as troublemakers or dismissed as being politically motivated. It is important to remember that whistleblowers are speaking out for the greater good and that their information should be taken seriously and investigated thoroughly.
We must keep Reality Winner and the hundreds of whistleblowers who have lost their lives, privilege, and dignity in our thoughts and prayers. More importantly, we must continue to resist our government when they target and demonize whistleblowers for calling them out for corruption, wrongdoing, and violating the U.S. Constitution. Long live whistleblowers.
