NEED-TO-KNOW BASICS ON WHISTLEBLOWER REPORTING
WASHINGTON – Experts from the Washington accountability community sounded off on the dynamics, ethics and future prospects of government whistleblowing during a panel sponsored by the Medill National Security Journalism Initiative.
The event, moderated by initiative co-director and Medill professor Ellen Shearer, gave audience members a crash course in whistleblower reporting.
Pentagon Director of Whistleblowing and Transparency Dan Meyer said reporters need to remember “the unique situation” their whistleblower sources are in.
“A prudential reporter, a dutiful reporter, a reporter who cares about the people they’re interacting with, will seek to understand the pressures that are on whistleblowers,” said Meyer, whose program is part of the Defense Department Inspector General’s Office.
Meyer called whistleblowers “the canaries in the coal mine,” with issues they raise increasing the public’s awareness of problems in government.
