What are the pros and cons of anonymous reporting?

Answer 1

The pros and cons of anonymous reporting depends on what the reporter is trying to achieve.

Many people shy away from reporting because of apathy, fears, beliefs that their reports would cause them damage, and feelings of powerlessness.

Pros of anonymous reporting remove some of the obstacles that keep people afraid to report.

Anonymous Reporting

• Helps a person feel safer, whether at a job, in the community, or at home
• Creates a safe way for "Whistle Blowers" to report fraud or other governmental / financial waste without having to identify themselves or be "involved" in the prosecution
• Crime-stopper reporters help catch criminals and end crime sprees without having to testify in court (be "involved")
• Reporters can feel they are taking action about a 'wrong', without exposing themselves
• anonymous reporters often feel freer to 'name names' and give more details than if the reporter's identity was known
• anonymous call lines are open nights and weekends; a reporter can simply talk to a machine or voice mail and never have to confront a person; reporters can avoid probing questions; call lines often offer rewards for reporting (they give a code number so the reporter can claim the reward).
• Some receivers of reports doubt the reporter. Was the girlfriend just angry at her ex-boyfriend? Was the fired worker just trying to get back at the ex-employer?
• Some receivers of reports disbelieve and discount a report and reporter if the reporter has mental illness, drug addiction, or an unsavory past.
• Reporters who report more often than the general population are often suspected of having some agenda-- it can't be that the reporter just wants to live in a better world or to do the right thing.

The cons of anonymous reporting include:

• The police or governmental agency is often limited by the limited info a reporter gives; if a person only identifies the 'bad guy' but doesn't give details, this may not help as much as if more info was supplied
• The police or governmental agency person cannot ask further questions-- "How do you know this?" "What date/s did it happen?" "Where did it happen?" Was anyone else a witness?" "How many people involved?" "What was done / taken / stolen / who lied to whom, etc.?"
• Ironically, even though a reporter may want to be anonymous, it also means they may not get feedback about what was done in response to the report. Did Child Welfare listen when I said the father beat his son? Did Worker's Compensation believe me when I said my neighbor is putting a roof on his house, carrying heavy shingles up and down a ladder? Will anyone put a stop to the wrong I've reported?
• A reporter may lose out on a reward if the reward is based on knowing who has reported the incident / criminal, etc.
• A reporter may indeed just want to cause a person or company some problem. Reports to Child Welfare are sometimes made from malice or spite, for example.
• anonymous reporting that is false can waste time, money, manpower, etc. For example, I report that I saw a man in a red truck kidnap a lady, but I didn't witness any of it-- so police track leads for a "red truck" but that was a lie.
• Some people just like to report---whatever. They have no true information but get a thrill from being "involved" in the excitement.