Final answer:
The employee is a whistleblower, someone who reports unlawful or immoral activities within an organization. Laws like the Whistleblower Protection Act help shield such individuals from retaliation, and reporter's privilege allows them to anonymously provide information to the press.
Step-by-step explanation:
The employee of XYZ Corporation who disclosed the company's deceptive and dishonest accounting practices to a government official played the role of a whistleblower. A whistleblower is a person who informs on a person or organization regarded as engaging in an unlawful or immoral activity. This is an important form of bureaucratic oversight and is often protected by various laws and statutes, such as the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, which includes the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 and the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012. These laws provide rights and protections for federal whistleblowers, allowing them to report misdeeds committed within an organization without fear of reprisal.
Reporter's privilege plays a key role in protecting whistleblowers when they provide information to journalists. Journalists, such as those who reported on Watergate and the Edward Snowden case, often rely on whistleblowers to reveal important information that would otherwise remain undisclosed to the public. This privilege is crucial for maintaining governmental transparency and accountability, which supports the principles of a democratic society.