Knowra Whistleblowing Whistleblowing Whistleblowing is the disclosure of suspected wrongdoing within an organization to people able to investigate or address it. It can occur inside the organization or through external channels.
Internal reporting : Reporting suspected wrongdoing through an organization’s own channels, such as a supervisor, compliance office, or hotline. It keeps disclosure within the organization, unlike reporting to regulators or the public.
Daniel Ellsberg : A former U.S. military analyst who leaked the Pentagon Papers, a classified history of American involvement in Vietnam. His 1971 disclosure brought government deception about the Vietnam War into public debate.
Organizational misconduct : Wrongful or harmful conduct carried out by an organization or its members in connection with organizational activity. Whistleblowing concerns suspected misconduct rather than ordinary workplace disagreement.
Leaking : The unauthorized disclosure of information, often confidential or classified, to people outside the organization that holds it. A leak may expose wrongdoing, but the term does not require that purpose.
Regulatory reporting : Providing information about possible legal or regulatory violations to a government agency responsible for oversight. It gives organizations an external route for investigating disclosures.
Sherron Watkins : An Enron vice president who warned company chairman Kenneth Lay about accounting problems in 2001. Her internal warning became a prominent example of reporting suspected corporate fraud.
Confidentiality : A duty or practice of restricting access to information entrusted by one party to another. Disclosures can conflict with confidentiality duties, even when they expose wrongdoing.
Dissent : The expression of disagreement with an established opinion, policy, or authority. Disagreement alone is not whistleblowing unless it discloses suspected wrongdoing.
Whistleblower protection : Legal or organizational safeguards intended to prevent retaliation against people who report suspected wrongdoing. Protection affects whether someone can report without risking punishment or career harm.
Jeffrey Wigand : A former tobacco-industry executive whose disclosures described company knowledge of nicotine addiction and health risks. His account helped expose what a tobacco company knew about its products.
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