What Does Whistle Blowing Have To Do With Ethics?

What is Whistle Blowing:
Whistle blowing means calling attention to wrongdoing that is occurring within an organization. The
Government Accountability Project lists four ways to blow the whistle:
reporting wrongdoing or a violation of the law to the proper authorities.
such as a supervisor, a hotline or an Inspector General
refusing to participate in workplace wrongdoing
testifying in a legal proceeding
leaking evidence of wrongdoing to the media
Of course, whistle blowing goes on in the private sector, where some of the most famous figures include
former Enron Vice President Sherron Watkins and tobacco executive Jeffrey Wigand. But because
government, by its very nature, is supposed to be open and transparent, full disclosure of unethical or illegal
behavior in the public sphere is particularly important. Not all of the problems in the public sphere are,
however, generated within the government organization; outside vendors, contractors, and individuals can
participate in and even breed government corruption.
What does whistle blowing have to do with ethics?

A whistle blower once testified in a California court about how his boss had regularly ordered him to discard
some of the companys toxic waste into a local storm drain rather than dispose of it properly. Why, the judge
wanted to know, had the man finally decided to step forward after having participated in this illegal dumping
for years. Well, the man explained, I was fishing with my grandson, and it suddenly occurred to me that
the waste I was dumping was going to pollute the water so that he might never be able to go fishing with his
grandson.
Whistle blowing has to do with ethics because it represents a persons understanding, at a deep level, that
an action his or her organization is taking is harmfulthat it interferes with peoples rights or is unfair or
detracts from the common good. Whistle blowing also calls upon the virtues, especially courage, as standing
up for principles can be a punishing experience. Even though laws are supposed to protect whistle blowers
from retaliation, people who feel threatened by the revelations can ostracize the whistle blower,
marginalizing or even forcing him or her out of public office. On the other hand, there have been occasions
when the role of whistle blower has actually catapulted people into higher office and has earned the respect
of constituents. (eg?)
How can government encourage whistle blowing?

In an article about whistle blowing in a business context , Lilanthi Ravishankar makes a useful
distinction between external and internal whistle blowing. She argues that companies should encourage
internal whistle blowing so that problems are solved within the organization before employees feel they must
go outside to get action. The same is true for government bodies, which need to know about problems early
before illegal contracts must be renegotiated or aquifers have been polluted or the publics money has
been squandered or unethical behavior has become front-page news.
She makes several suggestions about how to encourage internal whistle blowing in companies. We repeat
some of them here, with slight modifications for a government context:
Create a policy about reporting illegal or unethical practices, which should include:
o
Formal mechanisms for reporting violations, such as hotlines and mailboxes
Clear communications about the process of voicing concerns, such as a specific chain of
command, or the identification of a specific person to handle complaints
Clear communications about bans on retaliation
Get endorsement of the policy from top officialsmayor, manager, councilmembers, boardsand
publicize the organizations commitment to the process. Elected and administrative leadership must
encourage ethical behavior and hold everyone within the organization to the highest standards,
including the disclosure of activities that would have a negative impact on the publics business.
Investigate and follow up promptly on all allegations of misconduct. Report on these investigations
to the council or board.

What Does Whistle Blowing Have To Do With Ethics?

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

What Does Whistle Blowing Have To Do With Ethics?

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

What Does Whistle Blowing Have To Do With Ethics?

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

What is Whistle Blowing:

reporting wrongdoing or a violation of the law to the proper authorities.

such as a supervisor, a hotline or an Inspector General

refusing to participate in workplace wrongdoing

testifying in a legal proceeding

leaking evidence of wrongdoing to the media

What does whistle blowing have to do with ethics?

How can government encourage whistle blowing?

Formal mechanisms for reporting violations, such as hotlines and mailboxes

Clear communications about bans on retaliation

You might also like