Whistleblowing

A whistleblower is an individual who exposes misconduct, illegal activities, or corruption within an organization, typically to the public or relevant authorities. The term is derived from the practice of referees in sports games blowing a whistle to signal violations. In Hebrew, a whistleblower is known as מַלשִׁין (malshin) or מַגִּיל (maggil). In other languages, the term translates to lanceur d'alerte in French, Whistleblower in German, and denunciante in Spanish. Whistleblowers often face significant risks, including retaliation, job loss, and legal consequences, but their disclosures can lead to important reforms and improvements in organizational transparency and accountability. Notable examples of whistleblowing include the exposure of the Watergate scandal by Deep Throat, the revelation of U.S. government surveillance programs by Edward Snowden, and the uncovering of financial misconduct at Enron by Sherron Watkins.

Wikipedia Information

Whistleblowing

Exposing of scandalous activity

Whistleblowing is the activity of a person, often an employee, revealing information about activity within a private or public organization that is deemed wrongful – whether it be illegal, immoral, illicit, unsafe, unethical, or fraudulent. Whistleblowers can communicate in a variety of ways internally, and/or publicly. Over 83% of whistleblowers report internally to a supervisor, human resources, compliance, or a neutral third party within the company, hoping that the company will address and correct the issues. A whistleblower can also bring allegations to light by communicating with external entities, often becoming a source in investigative journalism or other media, or law enforcement or other government agents. Some countries legislate as to what constitutes a protected disclosure, and the permissible methods of presenting a disclosure. Whistleblowing can occur in the private sector or the public sector.

Last modified: 2025-11-18T16:32:01ZView full article on Wikipedia