Getting and using information
Whistleblower
An insider who reveals wrongdoing in their own organisation to a journalist or authority, often at great personal risk.
A whistleblower is a source with a conscience and a great deal to lose. They hand a reporter what their organisation wants buried, and protecting them is both an ethical duty and, at times, a legal minefield. Treat their safety as seriously as the story: agree how you will communicate, how they will be described, and never expose them to save a paragraph.