Who is a whistleblower ?

A whistleblower is a person who reports irregularities, fraud, abuse, corruption, or threats to public health and safety to someone who can reform the misconduct. A whistleblower usually operates within the organization where the violation occurred, but this is not necessary. It is important for an individual to disclose information about violations that would not otherwise be identified.

If you report a personal grievance (such as bullying, harassment or discrimination), you are not considered a whistleblower unless your case is in the public interest. The latter must be reported in accordance with your employer's complaints policy.

history

famous whistleblowers

Some treat them as traitors, and for the vast majority, they are heroes. All of these whistleblowers have in common the extraordinary courage with which they resist the prevailing corruption or violations in their own organisation.

What are the most famous whistleblowers who have helped bring down governments and shocked the whole world?

William Mark Felt

Federal Bureau of Investigation

William Mark Felt, better known by his pseudonym - Deep Throat, as an associate director of the FBI, provided critical information to Washington Post about the intrusion into Watergate and the Richard Nixon administration’s plans to illegally sabotage democratic operations. His involvement led to Watergate scandal and Richard Nixon’s decision to resign in 1974. Felt’s identity remained unknown for more than 30 years, until 2005, when he revealed his identity in a Vanity Fair article saying, "I'm the guy they called Deep Throat." Felt’s identity remained unknown for more than 30 years, until 2005, when he revealed his identity in a Vanity Fair article saying, "I'm the guy they called Deep Throat."

Frank Serpico

New York Police Department

A former New York City police officer who in 1971 exposed police corruption and reported several colleagues for bribery and related allegations. He was the first police officer in the history of NYPD to step forward, report, and then openly testify about the widespread systemic payments of corruption in the amount of millions of dollars. Serpico received the highest honor of the NYPD, the Medal of Honor.

Daniel Ellsberg

United States State Department

A former United States military analyst, Daniel Ellsberg, leaked the Pentagon Papers, highly classified documents of the Vietnam War to The New York Times. The Pentagon Papers revealed a prediction of a high probability of American defeat in the Vietnam War. The government of Lyndon B Johnson was exposed and humiliated for concealing the truth and continuing the war despite poor predictions that claimed many casualties that could have been avoided. Ellsberg was indicted under the Espionage Act of 1917, along with other charges of theft and conspiracy, with a total sentence of 115 years in prison. The charges were later dropped due to government abuse and illegal gathering of evidence. Ellsberg’s revelations are credited with a major factor in the end of the war.