Watchdog journalist. Talk-show host. Air Force Captain. Writer. Father.
Host of The Burnie Thompson Show in Panama City Beach, Florida.
Public Affairs Officer in the U.S. Air Force, 388th Fighter Wing, Hill AFB, Utah.
Taught persuasive writing at Penn State, Weber State, and Gulf Coast State College.
Burnie founded The Society for Watchdog Journalism to make government more honest by holding officials accountable through investigative journalism. Transparency is the first step to restoring public trust in our institutions. And it begins with independent Watchdogs at the local level.
Master’s Degree in English from Penn State (2006)
Master’s Degree in Journalism from USC in Los Angeles (2002)
Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Cal State Fullerton (2000)
Watch Dog
Former Lynn Haven Mayor files Notice of Intent to sue Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford
Read the Notice of Intent: NOI_BCSO_EXECUTED.
Marsy’s Law attorney convicted / Teenage girl deprived of attorney / Attorney-client privilege violated
An attorney representing a teenage girl under Marsy’s Law was arrested in 2022, and the girl was sheltered into state custody under a false DCF affidavit and forced into three forensic interviews without her attorney. She was asked what she told her attorney, and what her attorney told her. The girl arrived for a voluntary…
Attorney-client privilege violated in shocking conviction of lawyer after Judge refuses to let jury hear basis for arrest / Appeal underway as teenage victim was stripped of her attorney in Marsy’s Law case
On Jan. 30, Hoot Crawford was wrongly convicted of interfering with child custody and of tampering with a witness/victim. Hoot’s only crime was protecting a teenage victim’s rights under Marsy’s Law, which angered Lt. Jeremy Mathis of the Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) on May 6, 2022. Earlier that morning, Hoot arrived with the girl and her…
Developer James Finch files license complaint against Lynn Haven City Engineer Chris Forehand
Read the complaint here: Finch Complaint against Forehand License
Found NOT GUILTY of bribery, James Finch sues Lynn Haven City Engineer Chris Forehand
Here’s the Finch Lawsuit
A glimpse inside the federal courtroom during the trial of Lynn Haven developer James Finch
What it looked like inside the Federal Courtroom
City of Mexico Beach wrote checks to then-Mayor’s Ace Hardware store, according to sworn statement
A sworn statement from the City’s former finance director alleges that the City of Mexico Beach wrote checks worth tens of thousands of dollars to then Mayor Al Cathey’s Ace Hardware store. She also claims that City officials are keeping financial records from Mayor Michele Miller, and committing standard accounting violations. Read the sworn statement…