What Is A Whistleblower?According to the definition given in wikipedia.org, a whistleblower is a current or former employee, or a member of an organization, who reports misconduct to people or entities that have the power and presumed willingness to take corrective action. The so called 'misconduct' could be a violation of law, rule or direct threat to public interest, such as fraud or corruption. The first world famous whistleblower was Jeffrey Wigand who exposed to the public that the Big Tobacco companies knew that cigarettes were addictive and approved without asking anyone the addition of carcinogenic ingredients to the cigarettes. It's interesting to know where exactly the term whistleblower came from. This term was derived from the practice of English bobbies, who would blow their whistles when they noticed the commission of a crime. This whistle used to alert both the general public and the law enforcement officers of danger. There are two types of whistleblowers - internal (individuals working within the company or organization) and external whistleblowers who are not directly related. A whistleblower can report misconduct to the media, law enforcement, federal agencies, lawyers, or watchdog agencies. According to most U.S. federal whistleblower statutes, the requirement to be considered as a whistleblower is to have some form of evidence proving the misconduct. In the eyes of the public, whistleblowers are viewed as either zeros or heroes, and never something in between. Some label them as snitches that are just pursuing money and fame, but fact is that the majority of cases receive little or no media attention at all, and just a few of them report significant misconduct and in such cases they are put in under legal protection. The legal protection for whistleblower is different for every country. In the US, the protection depends on the matter of whistleblowing. To file your whistleblower case to the FBI, you must follow a certain procedure. You must timely file your written request for corrective action with OARM either by mail or by facsimile. Your request for corrective action must be as specific and factually detailed as possible, and it must contain your personal information and evidence that you sought corrective action involving the same protected disclosure. It's fact that when it comes to blowing the whistle and reporting something wrong, most people prefer to remain silent. Rarely, there will be conscientious people who want to step up and speak out. Such individuals want to make a difference by blowing the whistle on unethical conduct in the workplace. |