The Whistleblower in the Impeachment Inquiry Against Trump Should be Named [EDITORIAL]

The U.S. is going through a rare political situation. An impeachment inquiry is being held in light of a whistleblower providing damning information against President Donald Trump. The media and Democrats have been against releasing the name of the whistleblower and that’s not the correct move. The whistleblower should be named by the media.

The Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 does not protect the whistleblower from being named, but instead only protects the person from being retaliated against, meaning they cannot suffer adverse consequences for doing their jobs. An amendment in 1998 does prevent the inspector general’s office from providing the public and Congress the whistleblowers identity. If the whistleblower would give consent, only then would the inspector general’s office be able to legally provide the information. There’s nothing that says the media cannot release this information yet most media outlets have chosen not to do so.

Both Facebook and YouTube have taken a strong stance against naming the whistleblower by blocking users from spreading the information. The media should undercut this by outing the whistleblower. The American people should be informed about everything that is currently happening during the impeachment inquiry. It is the duty of journalists to ensure that the people know what is going on using accurate and unbiased information.

The current political climate may be why major media outlets aren’t outing the whistleblower. The fear of extremism is real among the media and it may be justified. Even NFL field goal kickers get death threats when they miss and that’s a game and not the president possibly being impeached. However, the whistleblower decided to step forward with this information and therefore surrendered their privacy in the matter. Right-wing news sites have already outed the whistleblower.

There is also the possibility of political motivation. The whistleblower has Democratic ties, according to conservative sites, and the public should be officially made aware of the information at large and the media should try to verify it. Again, it should be the job of the media to provide the information in an unbiased and accurate manner and the public should be allowed to come to their own conclusions using the information that is provided. That is not what’s happening. Instead the whistleblower is being protected by major media outlets.

It’s not just a matter of the public knowing, but a matter of Trump being allowed to face his accuser. Politics aside, a person should have the right to face their accuser. Step into Trump’s shoes for a moment. If you, as Trump does, believe that nothing wrong was done, would not being able to even know your accuser be fair? There aren’t many that would agree with a no on this. Despite his politics and antics, Trump should be allowed to know his accuser’s identity. Although no retaliation can be done, Trump can at least take solace in knowing who it is that has accused him of a crime that is of an impeachable offense.

The whistleblower should be named so that the American people can be well informed on everything that is going on during the impeachment process. Trump should be allowed to face his accuser head on and be allowed to defend his actions. The mainstream media needs to stop picking sides and start doing what they should be doing. And that’s keeping the people of America informed.

This editorial was the result of deliberations of a JAMS 504 editorial board.