Before giving any information to a reporter be sure to clarify the terms of your working relationship. The news media, like the legislature, is owned by and beholden to wealthy people with things to hide. Advocacy Groups Non-profit advocacy organizations with interests similar to those driving you to blow the whistle can provide advice, share their own research and knowledge, act as allies, and serve as conduits for anonymous disclosures. Some organizations, such as the Government Accountability Project, specialize in helping whistleblowers. Unions can provide valuable assistance and there is strength in solidarity.
Whistleblowers often think they are legally protected from retaliation.
That's somewhat true. It is your right under the Constitution and numerous laws to blow the whistle and not be discriminated against for doing so. Government employees have protection under the First and Fourteenth Amendments, which prohibit governments from retaliating against workers who express reasonable dissent on public concerns. Protections for private sector workers have developed in recent years through statutes and common law. But these protections are neither comprehensive nor well enforced.