• Media

Whistleblower Intentions

  • Written By: Lioness

Just as journalists may sometimes have unethical motivations for pursuing a story, whistleblowers can have unethical intentions for coming forward. Whistleblowing is not appropriate in the following scenarios:

  • Sharing information that is not rooted in fact but based on a hunch, or sharing information without necessary context — It is crucial for a whistleblower to have full understanding of the information they are bringing to the media, including evidence or documentation to back up their claims. Without this context and understanding, a whistleblower is at risk of

    • making false or unsupported claims that may prompt legal action, and/or
    • losing the interest of the journalist, and therefore losing the opportunity to share their story with that publication.

“Until you can prove something, you can’t accuse someone of breaking the law, unless you want to be sued.” Cambridge Analytica whistleblower Brittany Kaiser

  • Seeking personal vengeance on an employer or co-worker — A person may find themselves inclined to seek revenge on an employer because they did not qualify for a promotion, or because an employer hired a candidate who the person does not like. These are not appropriate wrongs to blow the whistle for. It is very important for a whistleblower to examine their motivations, and to ensure their judgement is not clouded by a desire for retaliation over a petty wrongdoing.

Unfortunately, “getting back” at an organization or co-worker for a petty or personal incident was cited as one of the most common motivations for whistleblowing in a 2013 survey of professional journalists. Some journalists reported in the same survey that it is more difficult to work with a whistleblower who indicates or implies that their motivation is revenge.

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This entire project is worthless if the tech workers who come to it cannot trust where the information is from, who is behind its creation, and who manages the site. For that reason, I have identified every organization and individual who has been instrumental in its development.

The time and resources required to put together the Handbook were funded by Omidyar Network. This is a wholly independent project owned and managed by me. No identifying data will ever be collected or shared about who accesses this site — with anyone. That said, I do NOT advise accessing this from a company device. Your employer can, and will likely, track visits to a resource like this Handbook. 

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— Ifeoma Ozoma, Founder of Earthseed, Creator of the Tech Worker Handbook