Episode #246: Reality Winner

In Episode #246, whistleblower Reality Winner joins Osi to talk about her decision to leak a classified NSA document on Russian election interference. She reflects on the consequences of her actions, the prison sentence that followed, why she chose to write her memoir I Am Not Your Enemy, and new details that provide deeper context on her case and its lasting impact.

Reality Leigh Winner is a former U.S. Air Force linguist and National Security Agency (NSA) contractor best known as the whistleblower who leaked a classified intelligence report in 2017 about Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election. In 2018, Winner pleaded guilty to violating the Espionage Act and received a 63 month prison sentence, the longest ever imposed in federal court for an unauthorized media disclosure. Her case drew national attention to issues of government secrecy, press freedom, and election security.