Best Practices

The Merits of ‘Axe to Grind’ Whistleblowing Reports

April 21, 2026

The misuse of the word ‘malicious’ in whistleblowing laws and policies can misguide the handling of ‘axe to grind’ reports.   When Dale Horne of Whistle Blowers Ethics Hotline asked me to share my thoughts on the subject of ‘malicious reporting’ by anonymous whistleblowers, I jumped at the chance.   As an ethics consultant, I…