Whistleblowers

On November 13th 1974, lab technician Karen Silkwood set off to meet a New York Times journalist. With her was a dossier of damning information about the health and safety practices of the nuclear industry. But Karen never made it to her meeting. In this episode of Whistleblowers, we find out how Karen’s story changed the industry forever.

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When biochemist Jeffrey Wigand took a job in the tobacco industry, he hoped he could improve it from the inside, and develop a ‘healthier’ cigarette. But before long, Jeff discovered deadly truths that Big Tobacco had tried to hide. He was faced with a dilemma: Should he stay quiet, and keep collecting his generous salary? Or blow the whistle, and make a life-changing sacrifice?

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In 2013, animal trainer Phil Demers was accused of plotting to kidnap an 800lb walrus named Smooshi. The accuser was Phil’s former employer: an aquatic amusement park in Niagara Falls, Canada. The park’s management claims he’s a disgruntled ex-employee with a penchant for fame. While Phil insists he’s an industry whistleblower trying to expose malpractice. This is their still-unfolding story.

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In late August 2001, Minneapolis FBI agents predicted a major terrorist attack. They raced against the clock to try and stop it, but came up against a wall of bureaucracy. When their worst fears were realized on 9/11, the agents felt that something had to change. In the end, only the bravest would speak up and criticize the government of a grieving nation.

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Nuclear lab technician Frits Veerman first met officemate Abdul Qadeer Khan in 1971. The two quickly became fast friends. But then Frits began to suspect that Abdul had dark intentions. When he tried to blow the whistle, he was silenced and accused of being a spy. In the end, Frits’ suspicions turned out to be just the tip of the iceberg.

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Princess Diana shocked the world when, in 1995, she appeared on BBC TV and spoke about her failing marriage, her husband’s affair, and an alleged royal campaign against her. The public were mesmerized by the Princess's honesty. And the journalist who interviewed Diana, Martin Bashir, was praised for landing the scoop of the century. It wasn’t until twenty five years later that the world learned about the web of lies and deception behind the interview.

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The Kray twins were the kings of East London in the early 1960s. With their string of glamorous bars and casinos, they attracted the attention of the rich and famous. Behind closed doors, they were violent gangsters who would do anything for power and money. They relied on a circle of close associates to help run their empire. But when they began to take those associates for granted, their crowns began to slip.

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In 2010, U.S. soldier Chelsea Manning leaked thousands of explosive military documents to WikiLeaks. At first, it seemed like she’d gotten away with her crime. So why did she confess to a complete stranger a few weeks later? 

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Just like Romeo and Juliet, Vitaly Stepanov and Yuliya Rusanova were never supposed to be together. He was an anti-doping officer and she was a drug-taking athlete. But their turbulent love story led them to expose one of the biggest scandals in Russia’s sporting history.

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In 2021, U.S. Intelligence Agent Lue Elizondo made headlines when he told the world about worrying UFO sightings. Sightings that he said the government had ignored. Lue claimed that he had been the director of a secret UFO department at the Pentagon, but when his colleagues denied that he’d ever worked there, Lue's credibility began to crumble.

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