Journalism on press freedom, whistleblowing, and government secrecy

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Kevin Gosztola

Kevin Gosztola

Managing editor of Shadowproof, host of the "Dissenter Weekly," co-host of the podcast "Unauthorized Disclosure," and member of Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ)

Daniel Hale Receives 45-Month Sentence For Releasing Drone Documents

Daniel Hale (Photo: Bob Hayes) Drone whistleblower Daniel Hale was sentenced to 45 months in federal prison. It was a severe sentence but not the harshest sentence ever issued in an Espionage Act prosecution against a former United States government employee or contractor for the “unauthorized disclosure” of information. The

Obama Justice Department Officials Wouldn't Approve Charges Against Daniel Hale

Now the United States Justice Department under President Joe Biden embraces a political prosecution inherited from the Trump Justice Department.

Listen To The Third Episode of 'Primary Sources' With Carey Shenkman (Exclusive For Paid Subscribers)

Defending Rights and Dissent's graphic for the third episode of "Primary Sources" In the third episode of the “Primary Sources” podcast, human rights attorney Carey Shenkman joins host Chip Gibbons for a deep dive into the legal history of the United States Espionage Act. Shenkman gave

Dissenter Weekly: US Prosecutors Play Dirty In Daniel Hale's Case (Exclusive For Paid Subscribers)

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 Israeli officials. Our main story of

Daniel Hale Pens Letter For Judge Describing How He 'Came To Violate The Espionage Act'

"The truest truism that I’ve come to understand about the nature of war is that war is trauma," Daniel Hale shared with the judge.

US Government Seeks Harshest Sentence Ever In Leak Case Against Drone Whistleblower

The sentencing memorandum from the U.S. government reflects the vindictive posture of US prosecutors, particularly since he pled guilty.

US 'Power Brokers' Benefited From Defending Israeli Spyware Maker

NSO Group, the Israeli surveillance firm behind Pegasus (Screen shot from The Hindu) A massive journalism project involving 17 media outlets from around the world exposed the dark underbelly of Israeli surveillance firm NSO Group and their collaboration with governments to target journalists, human rights activists, and even powerful regime