Blowing the whistle in the media can have a hugely positive impact. After Desiree Fixler, head of sustainability at the asset management giant DWS, accused her company of greenwashing, regulators in the US and Europe launched investigations and the chief executive resigned. The episode is thought to have prompted regulators to clamp down on greenwashing more broadly – potentially transforming the entire financial industry for the good of the planet.
Fixler is not alone. It is common for someone to be happy in their job and yet uncomfortable with certain aspects of it – and to want those troubling details out in the open. What’s concerning you may be something specific to your organisation, or it may be a common practice in your industry that could be stopped or better regulated if people knew about it.
But it can be daunting to raise those concerns within your organisation, and with good reason. You might fear being branded a troublemaker, or feel unable to question something that appears to be standard practice. In those circumstances, another option is to approach the media.
The first thing to know is that going to the media does not mean your name will be made public.
Journalists are always keen on speaking to people “off the record” – which means nothing you say to them can be published. Off-the-record conversations are vital for journalists because they tell them where a big story might be, and where they should start looking for evidence.
It was...
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