Lamplighter Project was discussed at length in the October, 2023 issue of The South Atlantic Quarterly. The study, Police Whistleblowers, the Lamplighter Project, and Twitter: Exposing Misconduct and Corruption in American Law Enforcement, was authored by Dr. Rhon Teruelle, an assistant Professor of Mass Communication and Social Media at Purdue University Northwest.
The study examines the role of social media in advancing police whistleblowing to include, “Lamplighter Project and Twitter as resources that assist police whistleblowers who speak out against wrongdoings perpetrated by other members of law enforcement.”
Lamplighter Project’s founder, Dr. Jeremiah Johnson (identified in the study by a pseudonym) was quoted extensively along with Lamplighter Project’s Secretary, Norman Carter. The study includes a content analysis of Lamplighter Project’s tweets spanning a two-month period in 2022. A tweet highlighted in the article references the case of former Dunwoody Police Officer Austin Handle who currently serves as Lamplighter Project’s Vice-Chair. The study concludes that social media can assist police whistleblowers tell their stories, maintain anonymity, and network with other officers who have spoken out.
Dr. Teruelle has a forthcoming book in press with Lexington Books titled Breaking the Blue Code of Silence: Whistleblowers’ Social Media Use in the Struggle Against Injustice.