When a whistleblower calls: How top journalists protect sources and turn secrets into stories

See what documentation they can provide. They may not want to give you a copy of the documents at first, but they can give you screen grabs or something to verify them. Usually, it’s a slow burn. The more they trust you, the more they provide.”

Barbara Laker, reporter, investigations team, The Philadelphia Inquirer

A whistleblower is a coveted source. They may be high-ranking in their organization and deeply knowledgeable of the inner workings. They are risk-takers — someone who is willing to put their fate in the hands of journalists to tell their stories and right wrongs.

The Signals Network — a nonprofit organization founded to support whistleblowers as they seek accountability — reports that it has experienced a 289% increase in the number of whistleblowers who have contacted the organization in the first half of 2025, compared to the same period in 2024. From investigative journalists at major news corporations to local reporters, all newsrooms need to be ready to act when a whistleblower calls. Consider these best practices:

#1: Build trust.

“Let the person know that you have worked extensively with other whistleblowers and never revealed their names. I always tell people that I could never do my job if my word wasn’t my word. All we have in this business is our reputation. If they want to know other delicate stories you have done, provide links. Recognize that it usually takes a lot of time for people to trust a reporter completely.” — Barbara Laker, reporter, investigations team, The Philadelphia Inquirer

#2: Communicate securely.

Abby Vesoulis, national politics reporter, Mother Jones

“Set up secure, encrypted communications. … Bottom line: You want your whistleblower to feel as safe as possible communicating with you, so be sure to establish what those communication channels are and understand the licensing/legal agreements around them. You don’t want one channel turning over records the minute some form of legal action is taken.” — Yaffa Fredrick, senior director of investigations, The Houston Chronicle

“Signal allows you to auto-delete messages after a number of days, which protects whistleblowers in the case of a lawsuit. Lawyers can’t subpoena messages that no longer exist anywhere. I also generally suggest that people share documents by taking pictures of them with their phone. Saving documents as PDFs can sometimes retain metadata about you and your computer that you don’t want in the wrong hands.” — Abby Vesoulis, national politics reporter, Mother Jones

#3: Assess the information.

David Barstow, Reva and David Logan distinguished chair in investigative journalism and chair of the investigative reporting program, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism

“See what documentation they can provide. They may not want to give you a copy of the documents at first, but they can give you screen grabs or something to verify them. Usually, it’s a slow burn. The more they trust you, the more they provide. … See if they know other knowledgeable people who have the same information — and see if you can talk to them, too, without saying where you got their names.” — Barbara Laker         

“Focus less on motives and more on whether the whistleblower’s information is true and newsworthy. If the information is true and newsworthy, it really doesn’t matter whether the whistleblower has pure and noble motives, or whether the whistleblower is Mother Teresa.” — David Barstow, Reva and David Logan distinguished chair in investigative journalism and chair of the investigative reporting program, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism

#4: Engage legal counsel.

Yaffa Fredrick, senior director of investigations, The Houston Chronicle

“Engage legal counsel sooner rather than later. When tackling a major leak, you want to authenticate the information quickly and determine the legal risk you might face in publishing any part of it. Lawyers can offer up vetting questions early on, which you can use to interrogate the information you’ve been given, and they can also lay out the legal stakes if you pursue a story with that information.” — Yaffa Fredrick

#5: Manage expectations and practice care.

“Most whistleblowers come forward to stop an injustice, so more people are not harmed. Use that, and remind them of that when they get nervous. I always tell the confidential source I will read them the portion of the story that they helped provide. You need this not only for accuracy but to make them feel comfortable. Handle whistleblowers and confidential sources with extreme care.” — Barbara Laker

Gretchen A. Peck is a contributing editor to Editor & Publisher. She's reported for E&P since 2010 and welcomes comments at gretchenapeck@gmail.com.