The Publics Right to know

[TassieTiger]

I think it's a good idea... yes the media will choose the items they think interest most people. But i dino if you have noticed but inner the guise of terrorism a lot of invasive laws have been passed... including no protection in the law of whistleblowers... so the chances are that many things we should know... will not be reported anymore.

Most of what you complaining was 20+ years ago mate... probably be different now

Protecting whistlebowers from what though? Protection from being prosecuted if they've broken criminal law? No, no one should get that. If they've broken civil law... I guess it would depend and be treated on a case by case basis, but again no, no blanket protection is warranted or justifiable.

Example? Ed Snowden was a whistleblower but had to break the law to let everyone know wtf was going on - when you work for the govt you legally cannot speak out about the govt - it’s generally in your NDA or PD or internal policy.

As a government employee you are not banned from from speaking out about the government in the slightest, what you can't do it steal and then distribute government documents, you can't discuss specific topics covered by your employment contract using details and or names, you can however talk about and criticize your work and or the government in general as much as you like.

If what you're saying is even partially true, pollies would all be locked up come election time as they bitch about each other and the opposing parties.

Snowden isn't on the run because he spoke out, he's on the run for, receiving stolen property, redistributing/publishing the proceeds of theft, publishing details and names of event covered by national security.

Ed Snowden will be tried as a traitor not a thief - his latest podcast confirmed this.

Put a couple of negative blurbs up on Facebook about your govt department, where you work and see how you go....

I work in govt and am across numerous govt contracts, HR, EBA’s, comms, etc - if you talk down to your position, then you can be removed - for a number of reasons.
Eg In my PD - it says that I must uphold the business name st all times and every contractor inauguration / appointment/ nominate similar wordings across a vast no of departments.

And Since when did any rules / laws / other apply to pollies.

[Member-Deleted]

+1 Bill

[Sergeant Hartman]

Mike i don't agree with your last paragraph.

Showdown is on the run because he stole the info from the computer systems of dod/etc. Info that he had clearance for.

The tricky part is, it was a decision made by him as the content of what he copied (in a usb disc) he thought was something his government was going wrong..... aka spying on the government's of allied countries. And releasing this info he thought was the greater good of America and it's allies.

So the question is while illegal was the decision morally right... and if not then are all whistleblowers wrong.... what about Watergate, what about human atrocities. Or if you apply your logic...eg a person X working in north Korean government who tells us that they killed 10,000 people is wrong as he did an illegal thing.

[TassieTiger]

I listened to Snowden on Rogans podcast and it’s a bloody interesting conundrum.
As I understood his position - working for the govt at that level, he was advised : told, the govt doesn’t break the law because, the courts could never fully understand the requirements of national security...by the fact of secrecy.
So, when Snowden saw that nsa etc were spying on the public, clearly breaking the law and constitution (at least in his eyes) - he was in a huge conundrum because - as it had been explained to him time and time again , the govt doesn’t break the (the govt is the law - at least in this case), so what was he to do?...in his own words he waited years for someone else to come forward because he didn’t know how/what/where to do...
Thing is - Snowden might have opened this information thing up to the masses, but you can bet your bottom $ - things have gotten much much tighter in those “higher levels” to the point that we’re never likely to know what really goes on...