Gavin MacFadyen

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Gavin MacFadyen
Born
Gavin Hall Galter

(1940-01-01)January 1, 1940
Shimer College, London Film School
OccupationInvestigative journalist
Spouses
Virginia Daum
​
(divorced)​
Susan Benn
​
(m. 2010)​
Childrenone son, three stepdaughters

Gavin Hall MacFadyen (né Galter; January 1, 1940 – October 22, 2016) was an American investigative journalist and

whistleblower support group, The Whistler; and a Trustee of the Courage Foundation.[1] He was acknowledged as a ″beloved director of WikiLeaks″ shortly after his death in 2016.[2]

MacFadyen facilitated and protected whistleblowing activities and organized events at which whistleblowers and former intelligence personnel spoke publicly. He acted as an advocate for

We Steal Secrets
and Julian Assange: A Modern Day Hero?

The Gavin MacFadyen Award[5] has been presented annually since 2017, for which nominations are accepted from and voted on by whistleblowers only.

Early life

MacFadyen was born Gavin Hall Galter on January 1, 1940, in

CIA.[8]

Career

Filmmaking and investigative journalism

MacFadyen had produced and directed more than 50

Frontline.[10]

Collaborating with Chicago director

whistleblowers in the United States. Wigand revealed the industry deceptions and practices of Big Tobacco that got people hooked. Wigand's decision to become a whistleblower came at great cost to his personal life - Brown & Williamson unleashed a smear campaign against him - and brought risks to his personal safety.[11][12] Wigand's disclosures played a crucial role in the case brought by the states' attorneys general against the major tobacco companies, which resulted in a $246 billion settlement to offset medical costs incurred treating smoking-related illnesses, and in the decision Justice Department to seek billions of dollars in additional damages from the tobacco makers (Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement).[13]

In April 2003 MacFadyen co-founded with Michael Gillard the Centre for Investigative Journalism (CIJ) as a non-profit organisation to address the worsening media climate for in-depth, sceptical and adversarial reporting.

City University
from 2003 to 2014 when it acted as CIJ's base.

He and Eileen Chubb co-founded The Whistler, which was intended to provide a legal, psychological and social support network for whistleblowers from any organization, public or private, in the UK and he was also a supporter of Edna's Law.[14] At The Whistler's launch in February 2014 a number of international whistleblowers spoke: former MI5 intelligence officer Annie Machon, former CIA analyst Ray McGovern, NSA whistleblower Thomas A. Drake, and Jesselyn Radack of the Government Accountability Project (GAP) (The Whistler's US counterpart).[15]

MacFadyen became an early mentor and defender of WikiLeaks and friend of Julian Assange, an Australian computer programmer, who founded WikiLeaks in 2006 and published millions of secret documents, many supplied by Chelsea Manning, a US Army intelligence analyst. MacFadyen helped form the Julian Assange Defense Committee along with his wife Susan Benn and the journalist John Pilger.[16][17]

Grants and other professional interests

MacFadyen co-designed the South African Power Reporting Workshops from 2005 to 2007 at the

University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. He directed the New York conference on Financial and Business Investigative Journalism in 2005 at Columbia University. He has also acted as a mentor at the Fact/Fiction Workshops run by Performing Arts Labs.[18]

He received a

Glasgow University from 2002 to 2003.[19]

Personal life

MacFadyen lived in the Pimlico district of London with his wife, Susan Benn. He died of lung cancer in London on October 22, 2016, at the age of 76.[9] In addition to Susan Benn, he was survived by a son, Michael, from his first marriage to Virginia Daum; three stepdaughters and six grandchildren.[20] When MacFadyen died, Assange asked to be allowed to temporarily leave his asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy to attend the funeral, but the request was denied by Sweden's Attorney General Anders Perklev.[21]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1981 Thief Boreksco
1985 Latino Major Metcalf
1994 Beg! Detective Bland

References

  1. ^ "Gavin MacFadyen". Tcij.org. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  2. ^ Roberts, Sam (28 October 2016). "Gavin MacFadyen, 76, Mentor and Defender of WikiLeaks Founder, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  3. ^ City University London (June 25, 2013). "City Perspectives: Whistleblowers, Wikileaks and the future of investigative journalism". YouTube.
  4. ^ "Whistleblowing: The Consequences of Dissent with Professor Gavin MacFadyen". Tcij.org. May 20, 2013. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  5. ^ "Gavin MacFadyen Award". The Whistler. Retrieved 2020-10-22.
  6. ^ Michael Best (2017-04-24). "Long before WikiLeaks, the FBI spent decades obsessing over Gavin MacFadyen". Muckrock.com.
  7. ^ Langer, Emily. "Gavin MacFadyen, defender of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, dies at 76". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  8. ^ Michael Best: FBI cites ongoing investigation and national security exemptions for file on deceased WikiLeaks director, muckrock.com, February 9, 2017
  9. ^ a b c "Gavin MacFadyen". Tcij.org. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  10. ^ "Gavin MacFadyen | City, University of London". City.ac.uk. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  11. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-10-31. Retrieved 2016-10-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. ^ "A Tobacco Whistle-Blower's Life Is Transformed". The New York Times. October 15, 1999.
  13. ^ Brenner, Marie (April 2004). "Jeffrey Wigand: The Man Who Knew Too Much". Vanity Fair.
  14. ^ "Edna's Law". Thewhistler.org. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  15. ^ Media, Insofar (2014-02-21), The Whistler: International Launch, retrieved 2020-07-03
  16. ^ Mayhew, Freddy (October 24, 2016). "Centre for Investigative Journalism founder and 'leading light' Gavin MacFadyen dies – Press Gazette". Pressgazette.co.uk. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  17. ^ "Assange: the untold story of an epic struggle for justice". Johnpilger.com. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  18. ^ "Fact Fiction Lab - PAL". Pallabs.org. June 20, 2014. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  19. ^ "Gavin MacFadyen". Witnessed Presence and Systems Engineering. December 9, 2009. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  20. ^ Roberts, Sam (28 October 2016). "Gavin MacFadyen Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  21. ^ "Wikileaks founder Julain Assange's warrant to remain, won't make it to friend's funeral". Business Standard. October 29, 2016. Retrieved October 31, 2016.

External links

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