October 2024: New team members, exciting upcoming events and joyful news for our ED!

Exciting Announcement: Meet our whistleblower protection team!

We are thrilled to introduce two key members of our Whistleblower Protection Program:

Margaux Ewen – Whistleblower Protection Program Director

Margaux brings a wealth of experience and a strong commitment to safeguarding the rights of whistleblowers. Margaux was most recently the Director of Freedom House’s Fred Hiatt Program to Free Political Prisoners, a major new project to support journalists, human rights defenders, and pro-democracy activists who are detained in retaliation for their heroic work.

Julia Kahn – Legal Fellow

Julia joins our team as a Legal Fellow, providing valuable support in navigating legal challenges and advocating for whistleblower protections. She received a B.A. in Psychology and Science Technology Studies from Wesleyan University in 2021 and a J.D. from Michigan Law School in 2024. During law school, Julia served as a student attorney with the Civil Rights Litigation Initiative (CRLI) and the Veterans’ Legal Clinic.

We are also expanding our legal team! Please check our website for upcoming openings.

Learn more about Margaux and Julia and our other team members here.

Highlights from TSN’s whistleblower discussion at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism

TSN hosted a compelling panel discussion on protecting whistleblowers in high-stakes reporting at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. The event featured John Carreyrou, the journalist who exposed the Theranos scandal, alongside key Theranos whistleblower Erika Cheung and The Signals Network whistleblower protection program director Margaux Ewen, who explored the critical relationship between journalists and whistleblowers during election coverage. Moderated by Joel Simon of the Journalism Protection Initiative, the panel used the Theranos case to examine the broader implications for source protection and journalistic integrity in election reporting.

Our annual reminder to hold power to account

From the Pentagon Papers to the Panama Papers, whistleblowers have exposed corruption, privacy violations, and tax evasion. Whistleblowers and investigative journalists are crucial for holding governments and corporations accountable, yet they face severe legal and personal risks. Legal avenues for reporting misconduct are frequently ineffective, leaving individuals to turn to the press. However, whistleblowers and journalists alike are vulnerable to retaliation, prosecution, and even violence, as seen in the cases of Thomas Drake, Edward Snowden, and the murder of journalist Jeff German. Despite these dangers, whistleblowers remain vital to democracy.

Read the full piece here.

Double Exposure Film Festival and Symposium 2024Our annual reminder to hold power to account

TSN’s Whistleblower Protection Program Director, Margaux Ewen, will be speaking at the 10th Annual Double Exposure Film Festival and Symposium alongside journalist and documentary filmmaker Peter Klein, Senior Staff Attorney with the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Jennifer Nelson and Mary Inman, partner at Whistleblower Partners, LLP and a long-time TSN friend.

Workshop: Working Responsibly with Whistleblowers
Saturday, November 9, at 12:45 PM

TSN is honored to partner with Double Exposure in supporting their mission to spotlight the critical role of investigative film journalism.

Double Exposure Film Festival and Symposium 2024 presents a compelling slate of premieres and filmmaker conversations that highlight the power of investigative cinema to illuminate the complexities of this iridescent, ever-shifting era. Where investigative journalism meets cinematic storytelling. Join us at the 10th edition of Double Exposure Film Festival & Symposium, November 7-10, in Washington D.C.

This year’s festival reflects a world navigating through uncertainty—from AI and climate change to political polarization. These shifts present unique challenges for investigative filmmakers and journalists seeking the hidden stories of our time. Find out more here: https://zurl.co/70sl

As a thank-you for joining us, here’s a special gift: use code Signals for an exclusive 10% discount on the All Access pass. We can’t wait to see you there!

Whistleblower News Roundup

— A Kenyan court ruled that Facebook’s parent company Meta, could be sued in the East African nation over the dismissal of dozens of content moderators by a contractor writes Ammu Kannampilly and Humphrey Malalo for the Reuters.

— The GOP Megadonor Behind the Bid to Break Dallas City Government: Conservative hotelier Monty Bennett and a California-based company that offers protesters-for-hire have seeded an “astroturf” right-wing influence network that has kicked into overdrive to push controversial “Dallas HERO” city charter amendments, writes Steven Monacelli for the Texas Observer.

— “I loved my job at Microsoft, but I had to resign on principle. Here’s why,” writes Holly Alpine for Fortune.

Joyful news for our ED!

We are delighted to announce that our Executive Director Delphine welcomed her daughter, Tara, into the world this September. Both mother and baby are doing well. Please join us in congratulating Delphine on this wonderful new addition to her family. We look forward to the energy and inspiration little Tara will surely bring to our Signals Network community.