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Whistleblowers: The Heroes Behind Bars

After learning more about key media law terms and concepts, I realized that one stuck out to me. The concept of a whistleblower, while I knew what one was before, was a bit foreign to me and I didn't realize just how important and close to home they can hit. With Julian Assange being the main news story these days, I found it important to familiarize myself with not only his story, but the terms associated with the current news cycle.


Whistleblowers have made waves, especially in United States history. In a lot of people's eyes, they're heroes. They serve the people by uncovering and revealing injustice, dishonesty, and wrongdoing. While that is a good thing, especially for the American public, it often means that we lose faith in our elected officials. The concept and threat of a whistleblower hold them to higher standards and keeps the public informed so that we can help to hold them to those standards.

Some of history's most famous whistleblowers include Mark Felt, the man who gave up Watergate, and Daniel Elisberg, the man responsible for the Pentagon Papers. These men, like many others, have put their freedoms and safety at risk for the greater good or a higher purpose. In my mind, at least, we should be honoring their sacrifice and their strong morals.

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