Every generation has a journalist to whom most people can point as being transformative in world events. On this episode of the Whistleblowers, John Kiriakou speak with friends of the late John Pilger. He was an Australian journalist, writer, scholar, and documentary filmmaker. Pilger became a household name in the 1970s, when he secretly entered Cambodia in the aftermath of the overthrow of Pol Pot and broke the story of the Cambodian genocide, which became known as the Killing Fields. Randy Credico and Joe Lauria speak about their friend Pilger and how his documentary work and journalism pushed a generation of leaders.

In 2011, NATO supported the overthrow of former President Muammar Gaddafi, bringing about years of instability and two more civil wars that have yet to create a permanent political settlement. Host Manila Chan speaks to veteran war correspondent and journalist Elijah Magnier about the overthrow of Gaddafi and the current state of Libya.

Censorship is the first step toward tyranny. As Benjamin Franklin warned us, “whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.”

In the past weeks, the internet has been littered with "fact checkers" debunking claims that Ukraine was hosting bio-labs backed by the U.S. government.

U.S. Undersecretary Victoria Nuland testified in front of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, stating that the U.S. is working with Ukraine to prevent biological research facilities from falling into the hands of Russian forces.

“Ukraine has biological research facilities which, in fact, we are now quite concerned... Russian forces may be seeking to gain control of... we are working with the Ukrainians on how they can prevent any of those research materials from falling into the hands of Russian forces, should they approach,” Nuland said.

In what seemed to be an attempt to control the narrative, Senator Marco Rubio made claims that the theory behind the Ukrainian bio-labs is Russian propaganda to cover up their own potential bio attacks. Nuland agreed to this theory and responded, “There is no doubt in my mind, Senator, and it is classic Russian technique to blame on the other guy what they’re planning to do themselves."

Nuland is known for her involvement in the 2014 regime change in Ukraine. At the time, Nuland was the Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs under Barack Obama and many believe she was the mastermind behind the plot to overthrow the democratically elected government of President Viktor Yanukovych.