Uncovering whistleblowers

Ever heard of the terms snitch or tattletale? These titles are given to those who expose others for doing some deemed 'bad' to an authority. Typically, these are kids on the playground who run and tell parents or teachers that Sally is making fun of Johnny. In the real world, these people are known as whistleblowers, and their jobs are more serious.

A whistleblower is someone who gives up information about people who are involved in illegal acts. These acts must be considered unethical, unrighteous, or downright illegal, and are usually within public or private institutions or organizations. Whistleblowers, although not popular among criminals, are protected by the US federal government under the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989. On top of this, many states have even adopted further ways for whistleblowers to stay protected through their anti-corruption, freedom of information, and employment laws.

Most whistleblowers are internal to the company and are reporting against a colleague anonymously, however, there are two overarching sectors that can further explain the severity of the whistleblowing action. These would be for private and public institutions. In most cases, a whistleblower exposing a public institution is going to be more high profile than private, but more prevalent in society. If a whistleblower is not internal to the institution, then they are either external or a third party. Sometimes, companies will hire a third party whistleblower to come in and create a secure and anonymous scout on their employees, as it could be beneficial to have these bad eggs exposed before someone else does it.


When a whistleblower finds and reports important information to the authorities, it is crucial that action is taken. Under the protection rights of these people, it is safe to do so and in the end benefits society on a scale that is sometimes astronomical. For businesses, consumers, and the general public, these people put their necks on the line to protect us all.