Whistleblowing – Is it worth it?
1. Who is the whistleblower?
An inspiring article appeared recently in The New Yorker. The title “Bounty Hunter” is not accidental. Author Patrick Radden Keefe presents the story of Jordan A. Thomas, who became famous as an advocate for whistleblowers.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/01/24/jordan-thomas-army-of-whistle-blowers
A whistle-blower, also known as a unmasker, is a person who notifies about the occurrence of irregularities, unfair, immoral or illegal practices. The most common place of these irregularities is the whistleblower’s workplace – when he is employed in a given organization, although it is also possible for an external person to report it. By analogy with this distinction, the whistleblower, by making a notification, may direct his actions towards superiors within the organization or directly to any state bodies, and even the media. Internal whistle-blowers are much more likely to be retaliated against by their employers, which manifests itself in, among other things, increasing responsibilities, cutting hours or layoffs. The activities in question also include a bad name that the whistleblower will have to deal with. This may mean looking for a job in a different industry or even changing one’s place of residence. The need to protect whistleblowers underpinned the development of system solutions[1].
