Editing Whistleblowing (section)

===Risks===
Individual harm, damage to public trust, and threats to national security are three categories of harm that may come as a result of whistleblowing. Revealing a whistleblower's identity can automatically put their life in danger. Some media outlets associate words like "traitor" and "treason" with whistleblowers, and in many countries around the world, the punishment for treason is the [[Capital punishment|death penalty]], even if whoever allegedly committed treason may not have caused anyone physical harm. In some instances, whistleblowers must flee their country to avoid public scrutiny, threats of death or physical harm, and in some cases criminal charges.

Whistleblowers are often protected under law from employer retaliation, but in many cases, punishment such as [[termination of employment|termination]], [[suspension (punishment)|suspension]], [[demotion]], [[wage garnishment]], and/or harsh [[mistreatment]] by other employees occurs.<ref>[[Public Concern at Work]] (2013) [http://www.pcaw.org.uk/files/Whistleblowing%20-%20the%20inside%20story%20FINAL.pdf Whistleblowing: The Inside Story – A study of the experiences of 100 whistleblowers] [[University of Greenwich]] research report</ref> A 2009 study found that up to 38% of whistleblowers experienced professional retaliation in some form, including wrongful termination.{{Citation needed|reason=previous citation of "Miceli, M. P., Near, J. P., & Dworkin, T. M. (2009). Journal of Business Ethics." didn't clearly indicate a source that supports the claim.|date=January 2017}} Following dismissal, whistleblowers may struggle to find employment due to damaged reputations, poor references, and [[blacklisting]]. The [[Socioeconomics|socioeconomic]] impact of whistleblowing through loss of livelihood and family strain may also impact whistleblowers' psychological well-being. Whistleblowers often experience immense stress as a result of litigation regarding harms such as unfair dismissal, which they often face with little or no support from unions. Whistleblowers who continue to pursue their concerns may also face long battles with official bodies such as regulators and government departments.<ref name="Eye" /><ref name="first" /> Such bodies may reproduce the "institutional silence" adopted by employers, adding to whistleblowers' stress and difficulties.<ref name="Parliament">[https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmselect/cmpubacc/593/593.pdf Public Accounts Committee Report of Inquiry into Whistleblowing, Ninth Report of Session 2014–15])</ref> Thus, whistleblowers often suffer great injustice that is never acknowledged or rectified.<ref name="Lennane2" />

In a few cases, however, harm is done by the whistleblower to innocent people.<ref name="Gold-2019">{{Cite web|url=https://thewalrus.ca/the-whistle-blower-who-got-it-wrong/|title=The Whistle-blower Who Got It Wrong|last=Gold|first=Kerry|date=14 August 2019|website=The Walrus|access-date=25 August 2019}}</ref> Whistleblowers can make unintentional mistakes, and investigations can be tainted by the fear of negative publicity.<ref name="Gold-2019" /> An example occurred in the [[Health Canada|Canadian health ministry]], when a new employee wrongly concluded that nearly every research contract she saw in 2012 involved malfeasance.<ref name="Gold-2019" /><ref name="British Columbia Office of the Ombudsperson-2017">{{Cite web|url=https://www.bcombudsperson.ca/documents/misfire-2012-ministry-health-employment-terminations-and-related-matters|title=Misfire: The 2012 Ministry of Health Employment Terminations and Related Matters {{!}} Office of the Ombudsperson|date=6 April 2017|website=British Columbia Office of the Ombudsperson|access-date=25 August 2019|archive-date=25 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190825222942/https://www.bcombudsperson.ca/documents/misfire-2012-ministry-health-employment-terminations-and-related-matters|url-status=dead}}</ref> The result was the sudden firing of seven people, false and public threats of a criminal investigation, and the death of one researcher by suicide.<ref name="Gold-2019" /><ref name="British Columbia Office of the Ombudsperson-2017" /> The government ultimately paid the victims millions of dollars for lost pay, slander, and other harms, in addition to [[Canadian dollar|CA $]]2.41&nbsp;million spent on the subsequent 2015 investigation into the false charges.<ref name="Gold-2019" /><ref name="British Columbia Office of the Ombudsperson-2017" />