The latest True Crime / Broadway crossover podcast from Broadway Podcast Network: THIS IS REALITY. A completely true story, still unfolding. How and why did a 25-year-old with a Pikachu bedspread become the #1 terrorist in the United States?.. Read More
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About
The latest True Crime / Broadway crossover podcast from Broadway Podcast Network: THIS IS REALITY. A completely true story, still unfolding.
How and why did a 25-year-old with a Pikachu bedspread become the #1 terrorist in the United States? In 2017, REALITY WINNER, a highly decorated former Air Force linguist was charged with leaking proof of Russian interference in the 2016 election to the media. Her goal – to help protect Democracy. Reality received the longest sentence ever imposed for unauthorized release of government information - five-years, three-months – for her patriotic efforts. THIS IS REALITY captures the unfolding events of the interrogation, the trial, the imprisonment and the current efforts to pursue clemency with those that were 'in the room' where it all happened.
Produced by Dori Berinstein, Sally Horchow, and Rebecca Aparicio.
Part of the Broadway Podcast Network.
Visit bpn.fm/ThisIsReality for more info and tickets to the show.
Transcript
This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.
[0:09] Dori Berinstein: On June 3rd, 2017, FBI interrogators surprised Air Force linguist Reality Winner at her home in Augusta, Georgia, accusing her of leaking classified information, proving Russian interference in the 2016 election.
[0:24] Dori Berinstein: Tonight, this unassuming looking 25-year-old is behind bars in Georgia, the main suspect in a federal leak investigation that the Department of Justice calls a threat to national security.
[0:35] Dori Berinstein: Reality Winner, an Air Force veteran who worked as a government contractor, is accused of removing classified material from a government facility and mailing it to a news outlet.
[0:45] Dori Berinstein: The text of that FBI interrogation is now the Broadway play, Is This a Room?
[0:49] Dori Berinstein: Conceived by director Tina Satter.
[0:52] Dori Berinstein: In this series, we take you beyond the headlines, inside the story of Reality Winner, a decorated Air Force veteran, to uncover how a 25-year-old with a Pikachu bedspread became the world's number one terrorist.
[1:05] Dori Berinstein: I'm Dori Berinstein.
[1:07] Sally Horchow: And I'm Sally Horchow, and we are the producers of Is This a Room on Broadway.
[1:12] Dori Berinstein: This is reality.
[1:55] Dori Berinstein: Reenacts the verbatim transcript of Reality Winner's actual FBI interrogation.
[2:01] Dori Berinstein: When we started the journey of bringing Is This a Room to Broadway, we realized there was so much the public didn't know about Reality's story.
[2:08] Dori Berinstein: When Reality was arrested for leaking this document, the press coverage was scarce.
[2:13] Dori Berinstein: In fact, the late night talk shows only covered it to make fun of her name.
[2:23] Dori Berinstein: So it's official.
[2:37] Dori Berinstein: She had no previous record and was not politically active before leaking the document.
[2:42] Dori Berinstein: So how did a 25-year-old with a Pikachu bedspread become the world's number one terrorist?
[2:48] Dori Berinstein: Please join us for our next episode of This Is Reality by following and finding out more information on bpn.fm/thisisreality.
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