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About this episode

First, we interview Dr. Victoria Hampshire, an FDA veterinarian who gathered national attention after going public about her ordeal in late 2005. Dr. Hampshire was investigated by a private detective hired by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals after she negatively reviewed one of Wyeth’s animal care products. Wyeth then held a secret meeting with then-FDA Acting Commissioner Lester Crawford, and the FDA subsequently removed her from that product’s review and launched a criminal investigation of Dr. Hampshire. She was completely cleared by that investigation.Then, our panel discussion looks at the state of Whistleblower Rights and Pending Legislation (as of October 2008). Numerous whistleblower protections for all kinds of workers had been written into law six months prior. But federal employee protections still fall far short of where they need to be. Is there hope on the horizon, or even right now in Congress? We’ll discuss pending legislation, the overall importance of government accountability, and why it is vital for the country to institute thorough transparency measures. We’re joined by Gary Bass, Executive Director of OMB Watch, and Tom Devine, Legal Director of the Government Accountability Project. This episode was filmed on August 22, 2008.

• Release Date

  Feb 28, 2009

• Runtime

  28:20