CORPORATE CRIME OBSERVATORY

This technical report, authored by Samantha Feinstein and Hannah Kim, has been produced by our partner Government Accountability Project, which is an organization that is a leader in whistleblower advocacy at the global level.
 

The purpose of this study is to examine the critical role that whistleblowers played in countering disinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although this is a global study, it primarily examines selected case studies in the U.S., U.K., and France that illustrate the important role that whistleblowers played in countering disinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through researching information in the public domain, the report also explores global trends in whistleblowing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 

The report shows that whistleblowers have played an important role in countering disinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, governments or corporations attempted to silence them, sending a chilling message to would-be whistleblowers and ultimately harming resilience to disinformation. The study also highlights that the laws that protect free speech are inadequate to protect whistleblowers, the channels for investigation are unable to handle the disclosures adequately, and nations fail to prioritize whistleblower protection.

Suggested Citation

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APA: Feinstein, S. and Kim, H. (2022). GAP - Whistling at the Fake - Report “The Critical Role that Whistleblowers Play in Countering COVID-19 Disinformation“. Retrieved from https://www.corporatecrime.co.uk/whistling-at-the-fake-gap-report

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HARVARD: Feinstein, S. and Kim, H. (2022) GAP - Whistling at the Fake - Report “The Critical Role that Whistleblowers Play in Countering COVID-19 Disinformation“ [Online]. Available at: https://www.corporatecrime.co.uk/whistling-at-the-fake-gap-report

OSCOLA: Samantha Feinstein and Hannah Kim, ‘GAP - Whistling at the Fake - Report “The Critical Role that Whistleblowers Play in Countering COVID-19 Disinformation“’ (Corporate Crime Observatory, 2022), <https://www.corporatecrime.co.uk/whistling-at-the-fake-gap-report>.