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The experts at Lioness have helped workers across dozens of different industries tell their stories publicly, and they brought those experiences to this guide. We all benefit from an environment in which tech workers are empowered to engage with members of the media on their terms, and with a full understanding of the role responsible reporters play in providing transparency to the public.
If you would like to contribute to this guide, please reach out to [email protected]. Everything included in this Handbook can be reposted and repurposed freely with proper attribution (CC BY-SA 4.0).
This guide aims to help sources — specifically, workers at tech companies — understand what it means to bring a story to the media. It outlines what potential whistleblowers can expect when speaking to a reporter, how to protect themselves when bringing information to the press, and much more.
Speaking out about workplace injustice, abuse of power, or other wrongdoing has many potential positive and negative consequences — so there are many factors to weigh.
Whistleblowers, whether they like it or not, can become public figures. This guide walks you through the personal, societal, and cultural implications of whistleblowing, provides helpful resources, and answers questions like: What kind of circumstances might warrant reaching out to the media? What are your options for maintaining anonymity? How can you protect yourself from prosecution? What tangible good can come from whistleblowing?
The goal of this guide is to empower employees with useful information as they consider whether to come forward. We hope you find this guide helpful in weighing this important decision.
About Lioness:
We are:
Ariella Steinhorn
Founder + CEO
Ariella is a communications strategist, writer, and advocate for workplace equity. In 2018, she co-founded Simone, an organization that provided employees with legal resources, counseling, and community to build power in their work lives. Ariella previously led policy, corporate, and internal communications strategies for organizations including Ford Motor Company’s mobility subsidiary Spin, Uber, Managed by Q, and the US Department of Justice.
Amber Scorah
Partner + President
Amber is a critically acclaimed writer, TEDx speaker, and parental leave advocate, and the author of Leaving the Witness (2019, Viking Books). She has appeared on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Fresh Air with Terry Gross, NPR’s Morning Edition, and The Today Show. Her writing has been featured in The New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, and many other national publications. Amber is a Dean’s Fellow at Harvard University.
It is not an overstatement to say that whistleblowers are essential to the protection of democracy. Specific reasons for whistleblowing vary, but the intentions behind revealing wrongdoing are often the same: speaking truth to power and restoring power to people.
Whatever your reason for blowing the whistle, you should be prepared to provide evidence that will assist the media in their reporting. Although Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act allows most user-generated content to exist online with little ramification for the platform, publishers of news are held to higher standards when it comes to asserting something as a fact, and will therefore ask for proof to back up allegations. For more guidance, see Documentation.
Before going public, a potential whistleblower has much to consider. This section addresses a number of issues and options to be aware of before taking action, as early mistakes can prove later to be very costly, both personally and professionally.
Statement of transparency
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.
You can find a list of the data WordPress automatically collects about site visits here.
— Ifeoma Ozoma, Founder of Earthseed, Creator of the Tech Worker Handbook