SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) are a powerful threat to freedom of speech and a free press – affecting whistleblowers and journalists alike. They’re essentially a form of reputation management – used by the powerful and the rich to silence their critics or anyone exposing suspected wrongdoing. This guest blog from the the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, outlines steps you can take if you are targeted by a SLAPP.
The Infected Blood Inquiry report has laid bare how thousands of people died unnecessarily through receiving infected blood that was supposed to save their lives, and how both the NHS and the Government frustrated justice for decades.
Josie decided to go to the media after a junior civil servant, Raphael Marshall, reached out to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee with evidence of Foreign Office failings. Feeling “humbled” that a junior colleague had been brave enough to speak out, Josie gave an anonymous interview and leaked emails to the BBC to corroborate what he had said. Like so many other whistleblowers, she paid a heavy price for speaking out
