Whistleblowing is pivotal to exposing most corrupt systems. Over 43% of occupational fraud cases were detected and exposed by a tip, according to the ACFE, which is more than 3x as many cases as those that were detected by other methods. More than 50% of those tips are from employees. Vendors and customers are also significant sources of reporting. 

Why Whistleblowers Matter

Whistleblowers matter in every sector of the economy. Having whistleblowers in any organisation or society has its own advantages, as such organisations tend to record significant success.

Here’s why they matter.

They Help to Combat Fraudulent Activities: 

Whistleblowers help to solve misconduct, fraud, and corruption cases. Chances are, many people will see the wrongdoings and keep quiet. But it takes bravery to come out and speak. Coming to speak helps put an end to most fraudulent activities that can be beneficial to their organization, society, or country. 

They Save a Company’s Reputation

In a non-whistleblowing economy or organisation, nobody tends to speak up about wrongdoing. This is most of the time not because people want to look the other way, but because their safety isn’t guaranteed.

When whistleblowers are made a part and parcel of that organisation, acts that would have easily ruined the company’s name are now being reported anonymously. What this also does is help the organisation or society tackle these issues. At the same time, they remain fresh and minimal before they escalate into major problems.

They Raise Awareness and Create an Open Culture System

Staying informed is part of what makes a functional society. Exposing corruption and illicit activities raises awareness. Raised awareness makes people know what’s going on in their society and take caution. 

Being cautious doesn’t take away trust in the society. Rather, it helps build a beautiful, open culture. So every society needs whistleblowers who are brave enough to raise such awareness. 

Historical Cases

Here are some historic whistleblowing cases that made waves. 

The Chelsea Manning Case

Back in 2010, Chelsea Manning gave vital, classified military documents to WikiLeaks. She’s a former intelligence analyst in the US Army, hence the access to the documents.

In the documents are classified information about military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The exposure of the documents caused an upset and raised global debate about the transparency of the government and national security. 

Daniel Ellsberg

Daniel Ellsberg, back in 1971, did a similar thing. He gave several news outlets, including the New York Times, classified Pentagon Papers that revealed corruption behind closed doors. 

Such whistleblowing cases usually go through proper channels. But Ellsberg did not follow the process. He went straight to the press. 

The reason for that decision was that the government itself was involved in corruption. The Pentagon Papers fed the masses with fake information about the government’s work, when in reality, there were many shortcomings, so he had no choice.

However, Ellsberg got into some trouble for his actions. He faced many charges, including stealing government property and espionage. Fortunately for him, they later dropped all charges against him after much investigation. All his claims against the Pentagon Papers turned out to be true.

The Panama Papers Whistleblower (2016)

A major whistleblowing case happened in 2016. The Panama Papers. Over 11 million documents about the Mossack Fonseca (an offshore law firm) were leaked by an anonymous whistleblower. The whistleblower sent the documents to journalists working with the ICIJ. 

After extensive investigation and verification, the journalists connected all the dots and exposed how political leaders, corporations, and wealthy individuals used offshore financial structures to hide their assets and avoid paying tax. 

Relationship with Journalists

There has been an interesting and highly beneficial relationship between whistleblowers and journalists in recent years. Both parties often come together to promote human rights, expose corruption, and strengthen democracy. 

Some Defining Factors of this Relationship

Mutual Dependence

Journalists and whistleblowers both need each other, neither more than the other, but on a mutually dependent basis. Journalists need credible sources to work. And whistleblowers are one of their most reliable sources. 

On the other hand, many whistleblowers want anonymity. They don’t want information they give out to be traced back to them. 

Aims at a Common Objective

Many journalists and whistleblowers have one common goal. And that is to create a society free of corruption, social injustice, and harm to the public. They achieve this goal by providing concrete information and making it public.

When the relevant and investigated information is available, the legal bodies render a judgment. This results in a lawful society in general and reduces unlawful conduct to the barest minimum.

Strengthens Democratic Decisions

With the rise of whistleblowers in society and competent journalists to work for them, democracy takes a new turn. Government bodies tend to take less responsibility and do what is right out of fear of exposure.

Public organisations and powerful institutions are being held accountable because a lack of accountability exposes them. And because this relationship brings these bodies into the limelight, it also helps eliminate fear. People become more aware and tend to speak up more, but no one shows up for their jobs when they do.

Legal and Ethical Challenges

Because of how effective whistleblowing is, many countries are not creating good policies around it. The United States is one such country. They created the Whistleblower Protection Act to protect government employees who report misconduct. 

Whistleblowing is such an honourable thing to do, because of choosing not to disregard wrongdoings around you and speaking up against them to the right bodies. This, however, doesn’t come easily, as the whistleblower faces many challenges along the way.

Sometimes it feels like retaliation, being charged by the accused party, a lack of safety, and so much more. Some of these challenges in detail are:

Protection Gap

Whistleblowers don’t always get the protection they need. That’s the fear of many people, hence the reason some of them don’t come out to speak. When such cases even get to the courtroom, some whistleblowers are called to testify, and this exposes their identity. Most of them just want to remain anonymous and don’t have anything traced back to them.  

Exposed identity exposes them to some sort of danger. That’s not even all. It prevents others who would want to come out to speak from doing so. They wouldn’t want to be in that similar position. 

Prolonged Court Cases

When whistle-blowing is involved, cases dragged to court become prolonged, and in these times, the whistle-blower is burdened with providing evidence and solid proof to back their claims.

This can be difficult in most cases, as gathering this information may even require sources such as coworkers or other individuals who might not be willing to be involved. When issues like this arise, they lead to prolonged court cases.

Prolonged court cases come with their own strains on your finances, mental health, and general well-being. And so, legal bodies involved are encouraged to make it as easy as possible for whistleblowers, so that others are not discouraged from doing so themselves.

Filed Lawsuits made by the Accused

As previously stated, whistleblowers face significant retaliation, public humiliation, and scrutiny. Most of the time, they lose their jobs, their safety, and much more. The accused are likely organizations that are far more powerful and even richer than they are, so they risk being charged in court with defamation.

Not all countries operate with the same whistleblower protection laws. Some countries have strong legal safeguards that protect individuals and anonymous reporting channels, while others don’t have solid legal protection, exposing whistleblowers to retaliation. So, whether or not someone will come out to blow the whistle depends largely on the laws on the ground to protect them. 

Public Impact

The impact of whistleblowing in society is widespread. It has aided in so many ways that wouldn’t be possible without whistleblowers’ voices. Whether in the public or private sector of the economy, whistleblowers have brought about a significant change in society. Some of which are:

Prevention, Detection, and Exposure of Corruption

Even if rules and policies were put in place to regulate the behaviour of individuals and organisations, the government would never be able to uncover illegitimate acts across every sector without the aid of Whistleblowers.

Whistleblowers tend to help prevent corruption before it happens, because awareness of it makes it difficult for lawbreakers to commit crimes. When these corrupt acts are carried out, whistleblowers detect and expose them, which in turn reduces illegal acts to the barest minimum.

Recovery of Lost and Looted Funds

When it comes to public funds that have been long stashed away by government bodies, organizations, and individuals, whistleblowers help recover those looted funds.

In the private and public sectors of the economy, where money laundering occurs daily and taxes are not paid, whistleblowers help identify the individuals involved, thereby leading to the recovery of lost funds.

Public Safety and Welfare

With the aid of Whistleblowers, the safety of the public masses is ensured. For example, in the cases of vandalized pipelines and illegal bunkery, which can at any time lead to pollution, explosion, and mass death of individuals, they can be prevented.

When whistleblowers take action, they not only prevent such gruesome incidents but also prompt anti-corruption bodies to fulfill their duties effectively. 

Lessons Learned

Many points have been laid out, and awareness has been raised about various issues. Here are some key lessons to foster whistle-blowing in society.

•  Whistleblowers need protection. Whether it’s their job, their families, or their state of mind and well-being, whistleblowers should be protected and defended at all costs. It’s time to cut out the confidentiality breach that always poses a threat to the life of the whistleblower

If whistle blowers are to thrive in a society, expand, and carry out their task effectively without fear, then it should be done within a society that ensures their safety and keeps their identities completely anonymous.

• Whistleblowers receive a lot of backlash

While whistleblowers take it upon themselves to expose corrupt practices in society carried out in the dark, they are often not believed at first. They are further retaliated against, publicly shamed and humiliated, and much more.

The prevalence of this often leads to a decline in whistleblowing due to fear of negative consequences.

• Whistleblower journalist synergy is a must. For a sustainable, corruption-free society, the relationship between journalists and whistleblowers must be established. This relationship is not only symbiotic and mutually beneficial but also highly impactful on society.

This relationship, however, must be built on trust, co-dependency, credibility, etc. When both parties do their part, there’s so much they can achieve together, with a significant impact on society.

Balancing Transparency and National Confidentiality

When statements or reports made by a whistleblower are released, only ‘need-to-know’ information must be released to the general public. And then every other sensitive information is handled between trusted and legal bodies. This helps set clear boundaries and prevent risks for the whistleblower.

This, however, is simply the ethical and professional role of journalists to do. To know what information to put out and what to hold back to create trust.

Conclusion

Whistleblowers are an essential part of a society that seeks protection of lives and property, an adequate and effective justice system, an accountable government, and much more.

Whistleblowers take it upon themselves to ensure that society is free of corruption, the best way they can, and, most importantly, need protection from higher and legal bodies so they have no fear.