The Signals Network

10/07/2026

📖 What TSN read recently:

📌Amnesty International: Morocco: Whistleblower reveals how authorities used a web of surveillance to silence journalists and activists

A new Amnesty International report looks at how Moroccan authorities have used surveillance to target journalists, activists and other critics. A former intelligence officer, known as Safir, describes how people were monitored through spyware, phone calls, recordings and other methods.

🔗Read the full article here: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/10/whistleblower-reveals-how-morocco-used-a-web-of-surveillance-to-silence-journalists/

📌The Wall Street Journal: Contractor Played Down Contamination Risks After Ohio Train Disaster, Worker Says

A former environmental scientist who worked on the East Palestine train derailment response says a contractor pressured workers to downplay contamination and report “zeros” in their testing. The whistleblower, Peggy Dixon, has filed an affidavit with the EPA’s Inspector General through Government Accountability Project, while the contractor denies the allegations.

🔗Read the full article here: https://www.wsj.com/us-news/contractor-played-down-contamination-risks-after-ohio-train-disaster-worker-says-8fad3ab4?mod=e2li

📌Hawaii News Now: Lawsuit winner hopes verdict will encourage whistleblowers

Former Hawaii Tourism Authority executive Isaac Choy was awarded $500K after a jury found he was fired in retaliation for raising concerns about contracting irregularities. Choy says he hopes the verdict encourages other state workers to speak up when they see corruption or other problems.

🔗Read the full article here: https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/10/01/lawsuit-winner-hopes-verdict-will-encourage-whistleblowers/

📌The Kansas City Star: Kansas City deputy fire chief alleges retaliation in whistleblower lawsuit against city

A Kansas City Fire Department deputy chief is suing the city, saying he faced retaliation after raising concerns about compensation practices and pay differences among department leaders. The lawsuit says he was threatened, had his compensation reduced and was passed over for a promotion.

🔗Read the full article here: https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article317444572.html

📌Government Accountability Project: Whistleblower Reports USCIS Circumventing Court Orders

Government Accountability Project and whistleblower Timothy Turner have filed an amicus brief raising concerns about how USCIS is handling FOIA requests. Turner says the agency is not fully complying with a court order to clear its FOIA backlog.

🔗Read the full article here: https://whistleblower.org/press/uscis-circumvents-court-orders/ #:~:text=Whistleblower%20Reports%20USCIS%20Circumventing%20Court%20Orders.%20WASHINGTON%E2%80%94Government,the%20Freedom%20of%20Information%20Act%20(FOIA).%20Mr.

📌Miami Herald: Amid whistleblower claims, advocates ask lawmakers to visit ICE office in Miramar

Advocates and community leaders gathered outside an ICE office in Miramar following whistleblower allegations about overcrowding and poor conditions at the facility. They called on Florida members of Congress to visit the site and see the conditions for themselves.

🔗 Read the full article here:https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/immigration/article317353321.html

📌WGN: Whistleblower wins $260K in police database dispute with suburban mayor
A village worker in suburban Illinois says he was fired after reporting an improper search of a law enforcement database to the Illinois State Police. A federal jury awarded him $262,500 in damages in his lawsuit against the village and its mayor, who denied that he was fired for unlawful reasons.
🔗 Read the full article here: https://wgntv.com/news/wgn-investigates/whistleblower-wins-260k-in-police-database-dispute-with-suburban-mayor/

📌Politico: Senate Republican seeks to fast-track AI whistleblower bill
Sen. Chuck Grassley is pushing to fast-track a bill that would protect whistleblowers who disclose information about risks linked to AI development. The bill could move through the Senate by unanimous consent, but one senator has reportedly expressed opposition privately.
🔗 Read the full article here: https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/09/23/congress/new-ai-whistleblower-bill-01089367

10/06/2026

The 12th Annual Double Exposure Investigative Film Festival and Forum is here—and tickets are now available for our feature film lineup, taking place November 5-8 in Washington, DC!

Centered around the theme of ON THE RECORD: EVIDENCE IN AN AGE OF DOUBT, DX Fest invites audiences to discover compelling investigative films that uncover what those in power would rather keep hidden. At a time when accountability is under threat, these films show why it matters—and what it takes to pursue it.
View the feature film lineup at: http://dxfest.com/films-2026/

Also explore the DX Forum, featuring two days of panels and workshops built around the idea that the right to hold the government accountable belongs to everyone. Visit http://dxfest.com/schedule for details.

10/02/2026

⚖️ On September 30, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 1379 into law, a bill requiring the Riverside County Board of Supervisors to separate the roles of Sheriff and Coroner by July 1, 2027, along with additional measures to improve transparency around jail deaths.

🔗 Learn more here: https://thesignalsnetwork.org/a-step-forward-for-transparency-in-riverside-county/

09/22/2026

Double Exposure Investigative Film Festival 2026 has just announced the lineup of its inaugural Double Exposure Forum, a place for audiences to meet the investigative journalists and filmmakers behind the headlines and to learn about the big issues animating investigative reporting in print and film. The festival’s 12th season runs November 5-8 in Washington, DC.

The DX Forum features two days of panels and workshops hinging on a single idea: that the right to hold government accountable belongs to every one of us, not just to those with press credentials. Panels and workshops unpack how these rights operate on the ground and what kinds of risks they carry; how to evaluate images and viral news for truth and authenticity; open-source investigations, citizen journalism, and more.

This year’s Forum is as much for those who work in the media as it is for audiences who have felt the ground shift under what they thought they knew, and want to understand why.

Please join Double Exposure Investigative Film Festival and Forum by purchasing a pass today!

The first 25 pass purchasers will receive gift certificates for two free meals at Chick-fil-A!

VIEW THE FORUM PROGRAM
& PURCHASE YOUR PASS:
https://dxfest.com/

09/09/2026

🚨What if your spare change could help protect whistleblowers?🚨

The Signals Network is part of RoundUp, which lets you round up your everyday purchases to the nearest dollar. Those small amounts add up to a monthly contribution that helps us support and protect whistleblowers.

It takes just a few seconds to sign up and from there, your spare change does the rest. Find TSN on RoundUp and give it a try: https://bit.ly/4ik8ssS

Thank you for standing with whistleblowers.

09/02/2026

What TSN read last week:

🤖The Washington Post: They confided in ChatGPT. Their secrets ended up in court.
People are increasingly turning to AI chatbots for sensitive and personal questions. But those conversations can end up in criminal and civil court cases or be shared with law enforcement.
🔗Read more here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/08/27/chatgpt-chats-are-being-swept-into-civil-criminal-court-cases/

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📰The Guardian: ‘The day I disclose, my career is over’: the journalist facing an $800 daily fine to keep her sources secret
Journalist Catherine Herridge is facing a daily $800 fine for refusing to reveal confidential sources behind her reporting on a former federal investigation. She is taking the case to the US Supreme Court, arguing that forcing her to disclose her sources could undermine journalists’ ability to protect whistleblowers.
🔗Read more here: https://www.theguardian.com/media/ng-interactive/2026/aug/25/catherine-herridge-journalist-supreme-court

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🛡Defense One: NSA's non-disclosure agreements lack whistleblower-rights provisions: watchdog
An NSA inspector general report found that most of the agency’s nondisclosure agreements lack required language informing employees of their whistleblower protections. The NSA has agreed to recommendations to ensure its agreements include those protections.
🔗Read more here: https://www.defenseone.com/policy/2026/08/nsa-nda-whistleblower-law/415595/

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📉ABC: KPMG cuts nearly 400 jobs in wake of multiple scandals
KPMG Australia is cutting nearly 400 jobs as the firm faces pressure following a series of scandals, including allegations of client data misuse and the mishandling of a whistleblower. In the interview, KPMG whistleblower Brendan Lyon explains the scandals and says he feels for employees losing their jobs, even though they may not have been involved.
🔗Read more here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-24/kpmg-cuts-nearly-400-jobs-in-wake-of-multiple-scandals/107073228

08/10/2026

📖What TSN read last week:

📌Freedom of the Press Foundation: Leak hunting with legal orders
The U.S. Department of Justice has issued 15 subpoenas and other legal orders to journalists and news outlets since President Donald Trump took office, with nearly all linked to leak investigations. The article highlights legal orders targeting reporters from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, many of which were later withdrawn, and notes that arrests and detentions of journalists in 2026 have already surpassed the total recorded in 2025. Kirstin A. McCudden
👉Read more here: https://pressfreedomtracker.us/blog/leak-hunting-with-legal-orders/


📌OFM: Outa launches campaign to remember murdered whistleblowers by name
The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) has launched the They Have Names campaign in South Africa to honour whistleblowers who were killed after exposing corruption. The campaign was launched in support of Martha Rantsofu and other whistleblowers who lost their lives after reporting wrongdoing, calling for justice, stronger protection and accountability while ensuring they are remembered by name rather than as statistics.
👉Read more here: https://www.ofm.co.za/article/centralsa/342617/outa-launches-campaign-to-remember-murdered-whistleblowers-by-name

📌Financial Newswire: FAAA seeks whistleblower protection status
The Financial Advice Association of Australia (FAAA) has called on the government to extend whistleblower protections to professional bodies. In its submission to Treasury’s review of the corporate whistleblower regime, the FAAA said the current laws leave a gap that could expose both whistleblowers and professional bodies and proposed changes to better protect people who report misconduct and organisations that pass those disclosures to regulators. Mike Taylor
👉Read more here: https://financialnewswire.com.au/financial-planning/faaa-seeks-whistleblower-protection-status/

📌ABC News: Ex-ASIO source with information on Bondi gunmen denied visa to give evidence at royal commission
A former ASIO source known as Marcus has been denied a visa to Australia, preventing him from giving evidence in person to the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion. Marcus says he warned ASIO about the Bondi gunmen years before the attack, and the royal commission has said it is eager to hear his evidence. The decision has prompted calls from politicians and whistleblower advocates for the government to ensure his testimony can be heard. Tom Lowrey
👉Read more here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-23/visa-denied-for-source-ahead-of-bondi-commission/106946674

07/21/2026

We often hear about the revelations. We rarely hear about the people behind them.

In our latest conversation, filmmaker Marc Bauder, shares why he chose to make 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳, a documentary that shifts the focus from the revelations themselves to the people behind them, exploring what drives them to speak up, the risks they face, and the support they need along the way.

He also reflects on why supporting organizations like TSN matters:

"𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵, 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵, 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘛𝘚𝘕, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘋𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 50 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩. 𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘺: “𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘐 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘵? 𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘵?”

Read the full interview by Sandrine Rastello here:

Marc Bauder has spent the past 20 years capturing on camera how political & economic systems work & how individuals behave within these systems.

07/07/2026

🚨 ICYMI, the California State Assembly is debating a new law mandating the Riverside County Board of Supervisors separate the roles of Sheriff and Coroner by July 1, 2027, along with additional measures to enable transparency around jail deaths. During hearings on the bill's adoption, Lisa Mathus, the mother of an inmate who died in Riverside county's prison system referenced the circumstances she believed led to her son's death and that of Jamall Brown's, another inmate who died in custody, that the bill will help to address.

It was a year ago that TSN-supported whistleblower Victoria Flores, a former Sheriff's Captain, sued the Riverside County Sheriff's Department for whistleblower retaliation. According to her lawsuit, Sheriff Chad Bianco told her to call out sick so she couldn’t speak with the grand jury investigating the county’s jail deaths.

Learn more here: https://thesignalsnetwork.org/tsn-supported-whistleblower-victoria-flores-must-be-protected-for-her-revelations-about-the-riverside-county-sheriffs-office/

TSN - supported whistleblower Victoria Flores must be protected for her revelations about the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office

06/16/2026

𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗣𝗧𝗦𝗗 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵

Speaking out can come at a real cost. Many whistleblowers experience isolation, pressure and symptoms of PTSD after exposing wrongdoing.

In this short video, our Whistleblower Protection Program Director, Margaux Ewen, talks about the importance of providing psychosocial support to whistleblowers and journalists’ sources who have gone through these experiences.

𝗔𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸, 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗲𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀.

If you are able to, please consider supporting this work with a donation: https://give-usa.keela.co/donate-to-support-whistleblowers