Honestly I don't know if whistleblower protections are really worth a damn -- I could be wrong.

But would they not only protect the individual formally blowing the whistle (meeting the standard in the relevant law)?

These non-disparagement clauses would have the effect of laying the groundwork for a whistleblowing effort to fall flat, because nobody else will want to corroborate, when the role of journalism in whistleblowing cases is absolutely crucial.

No sensible mature company needs a lifetime non-disparagement clause -- especially not one that claims to have an ethical focus. It's clearly Omerta.

Whoever downvoted this: seriously. I really don't care but you need to explain to people why lifetime non-disparagement clauses are not about maintaining silence. What's the ethical application for them?