Blog Post 8; EOTO 3 - Whistleblowers

 Whistleblowers

    Whistleblowing is defined by law as “disclosing information that you reasonably believe is evidence of a violation of any law, rule, or regulation, or gross mismanagement, a gross waste of funds, an abuse of authority, or a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety.” Whistleblowers are someone (usually an employee of a company/agency/organization) who reports and exposes the wrongdoings of that corporation. Said wrongdoings can include waste procedures, fraud of all forms, abuse, corruption, public health &/or safety violations, and much more. Whistleblowers are important because they disclose information that would have gone unnoticed or unfixed! 

Whistleblowers and journalists have a complementary relationship with one another. This is because whistleblowers need journalists to publicize their information, and journalists need whistleblowers to create news and/or fill in any gaps they might have in their stories. Whistleblowers are actually crucial to the process of making news because they provide insider information & necessary details. And although it is helpful, journalists refrain from citing whistleblowers and instead cite ‘official’ sources such as politicians, corporations, large companies, etc. As we can see, whistleblowers have a very large and strong impact on journalism and reporting. 

   

    There can be many risks that are associated with whistleblowing, and sometimes we see that it may not always be in the whistleblower’s interest to work with the press. Implications of
exposing corporations include being demoted, fired, shunned by co-workers, and even being harassed for acting disloyally. Good evaluations suddenly turn bad. Careers are ruined and many of them can never work in their industry or profession ever again. However, there are different federal, state, and local laws that act as protection for the whistleblowers, which all have their own unique procedures for addressing whistleblowing cases. This is why as journalists it is so important to know the law, protect the anonymity of the whistleblower, and understand what is at stake for them. 

    On the contrary, there are plenty of moments throughout history where whistleblowing has been beneficial at the end of the day. For example, it was whistleblowers who exposed Watergate and the massive accounting fraud that brought down Enron and WorldCom in the early 2000s; who exposed secret Swiss bank accounts; and who exposed the health dangers of nicotine in tobacco products.  To focus on one positive case specifically, John Kopchinski was a sales representative for Pfizer who exposed the company’s widespread illegal marketing of its prescription painkiller Bextra in 2009. This led to a government investigation and the largest healthcare fraud settlement of the time; $2.3 billion. 

    Whistleblowers are valuable in many aspects of society and are the ones who are brave enough to speak out when they notice something that is not right. Even though spreading the truth can have pretty detrimental consequences, whistleblowers do it for the benefit of bettering or exposing the corruption within an organization to shed light and spread awareness on the issue, and push for a change. This is something I find really admirable and wish more people could expose the wrongdoings of large corporations without facing consequences. Think about all the things that might still be going on today if it weren't for whistleblowers, and how many things they have yet to expose.