Although they can provide vital information that can uncover malpractice, tips from informants must be treated carefully
Whistle-blowers can provide vital tips for journalists to expose corruption and wrongdoing. But working with them requires a huge amount of caution.
Reporter Patrick Egwu shares five tips for working with whistle-blowers in this article for Ijnet.
Egwu warns that journalists have a critical responsibility to consider the motive of the whistle-blower and to verify any information received by them before making it public.
"There is no excuse for failing in this regard, as the consequences for doing so can be huge," he explained.
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