Whistle-Blower

Learning Objectives:

• Define the term whistle-blower according to various criteria.
• Define the significance of whistle-blowing and the act itself according to various conditions.
• Assess situations where whistle-blowing may or may not be justified, given the duties and obligations of all parties and the potential consequences of the act.
• Describe the characteristics and importance of laws designed to protect whistle-blowers and key points in the debate over the moral justifications of these laws.
• Assignment:
  According to the National Whistleblower Center a Whistleblower is:
  “One whose loyalty is to the truth. One who exposes government or corporate misconduct, violations of environmental laws, threats to the public safety, or general employment actions that violate the law, risking his/her financial security and professional reputation to stop harmful actions on behalf of the public interest.”
  An employee is an agent of an employer.  An agent is a person who is engaged to act in the interests of another person (the principal) and is authorized to act on that person’s behalf. An agent has an obligation to work as directed, to protect confidential information, and above all, to be loyal [to the organization’s purpose, mission, and values]. Whistleblowing has the potential to do great harm to both individuals and organizations. The main stumbling block is the duty of loyalty.
  Below is the criteria to qualify as a whistleblower:
• Can only be done by a member of an organization (current or former).
• There must be information. or evidence of some significant kind of misconduct on the part of the organization or some of its members.
• Needs to take into account to whom the whistle is blown.
• Release of information must be done voluntarily, as opposed to being legally required.
• Must be undertaken as a moral protest, not for revenge or personal advancement.
• Information must be released outside normal channels of communication.