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The “blow the whistle” idiom refers to reporting a corrupt or dishonest situation, with the person who does so being called a whistleblower. This term can have a negative connotation, but whistleblowers can report to authorities, employers, or the media.
Generally, the “blow the whistle” idiom means that someone has disclosed or reported a corrupt or dishonest situation. A person who does this is often referred to as an “whistleblower.” Both sayings are thought to derive from the days when police officers or other law enforcement officials whistled to indicate illegal activity. The sentences could also have links to referees, who blow their whistle to warn sportsmen of an illegal move. Whistleblowers could report to the authorities or to any person or entity capable of putting an end to the negative situation.
Whistling a situation means signaling it and bringing it to light. Usually, the whistleblower reports to the authorities, who are often law enforcement officials. Depending on the situation, however, the authorities could be employers, teachers or parents. For example, if a student knows another classmate, or a group of classmates, is planning to steal answers to a test, that student might boo his or her teacher. Similarly, if an employee knows that a colleague has embezzled money from the company, she could sue her employer.
Sometimes, whistleblowers report to the media. From private citizens who have encountered the misuse of public funds to a high-level corporate executive who knows the owner of his company is committing tax evasion, all types of people choose to do so. Sometimes, this is because they know the media can shed light on the situation, especially if it is a situation in the public interest and the person feels they no longer have anyone to report to. Other times, a person boos the media because he wants to make as much impact as possible, whether for personal or public reasons.
While reporting a corrupt situation is often considered a good thing, the term “whistleblower” sometimes has a negative connotation. This may be because, along the way, people started using the word to describe not only people who reported dishonest situations, but also people who reported any kind of private activity. Additionally, some people have come to view whistleblowers as people who want to be seen as martyrs or “do-gooders.” While this is not always the case, people often assume that whistleblowers are “gossip stories” or that they are just reporting to get praise or attention for themselves.
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