Whistleblower Effect On Society

Often providing vital information initially hidden from the public, whistleblowers have the ability to greatly affect the way that society functions. Although the insider facts released can benefit the population, the informants are frequently persecuted. When whistleblowers such as Daniel Ellsberg and WikiLeaks informants release new information, the government work with the media to reprimand the actions that were taken. This is to prevent people from losing trust in the strong sociological agents that keep society conforming, but in reality, the information shared by these people usually benefit the average person. These benefits come with a price, as when anyone from world leaders to small business owners are put under strain, the people …show more content…
This document provided information regarding the USA’s involvement in the Vietnam war- and revealed that they had been a part of the war for a full 10 years before the public was made aware of it. Ellsberg stated that he “...felt that as an American Citizen, as a responsible citizen, [he] could no longer cooperate in concealing this information from the American public.” (Ellsberg, 1971). As one of the most impactful revelations regarding political control in history, the release of the Pentagon Papers assured that never again would the public be so naive. Over time, whistleblowers provided society with such extensive disclosure that the majority of the public no longer trust any political figures. People in a democratic society regard the voting system as no longer democratic. In fact, The Conversation reports that satisfaction with democracy is at its lowest level since 1996 (Mark Evans et al, 2016). The Julian Assange media frenzy, kicked off after WikiLeaks published a film clip titled “Collateral Murder”, which involved American soldiers shooting down unarmed Iraqi citizens, threw whistleblowers into the spotlight. The question on everyone’s minds was, “What is so bad about whistleblowers?” - Assange was cast in such a negative light, especially by then-Prime Minister Julia Gillard through various media platforms, achieving enormous reach throughout Australia and internationally. This convinced many people that what Assange and other whistleblowers achieved was wrong, but they had their questions as to why exactly it was that way. The public couldn’t see why being fully aware of current issues could have a negative effect, but the information released by whistleblowers does have a negative effect on the people that the information surrounds. This means that the people in question, usually the government or another strong