Definition

• A whistleblower is someone who informs the legal authorities, media or public about misconduct, corruption, malpractice or other forms of mismanagement by members of their own organization. Usually, a whistleblower speaks out to expose wrongdoing on moral or ethical grounds, or for the public good. Often the whistleblower is ostracized by co-workers.
  
  

Early History

• Until the 1970s, companies could fire non-union employees at will and without cause. Employers expected employees to be loyal to the organization and there was little protection for an employee that informed on his employer. When employees noticed problems, therefore, they were likely not to tell anyone simply to hold onto their job. An example is the connection between asbestos and lung cancer.
  
  According to Santa Clara University, the relationship was noticed as early as the 1920s, but companies and government agencies actively suppressed the information. The first publicly successful product liability suit regarding asbestos didn't appear until 1971.
  
  

Legislation

• The late 1970s brought new federal and state laws to protect private industry employees, including anti-discrimination protection in hiring and firing policies. Provisions forbidding retaliation against employees for reporting violations were enacted and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) agencies were created to protect employees.
  
  Then, in 2002, the Sarbanes--Oxley Act (SOX) passed into law as a reaction to scandals at Enron and WorldCom that includes protection for employees that report questionable accounting practices.
  
  

Ethical Objectives

• According to the United States Office of Special Counsel, a whistleblower is one who provides information he has reason to believe is evidence of any violation of any law, rule or regulation; gross mismanagement or waste of funds; abuse of authority; a significant public health or safety danger. Because the act of disclosure itself may constitute a crime (as in a public health disclosure), he should first use whatever internal reporting is available in the corporation. Secondly, if another party revealed the information to him, he needs to consider their protection before he reveals it. Finally, he needs to determine which parts of the information are personal matters--such as personal finances, sexual orientation, etc.--and which are corporate matters--such as insider trading.
  
  

How to Blow the Whistle

• According to the Government Accountability Project, there are three appropriate ways to blow the whistle. You should report the wrongdoing or violation to the proper authorities: a supervisor, hotline or an Inspector General. You can refuse to participate in workplace violations and wrongdoings. When asked, you can testify in legal proceedings. Leaking evidence of wrongdoing to media outlets may be effective, but not necessarily appropriate.