WHISTLEBLOWERS: IS IT SAFE TO BLOW THE WHISTLE?

Abstract

Is it safe for anyone to blow the whistle? Through quantitative research of secondary data including numerous academic articles and journals, as well as qualitative research collected through interviews, it seems as though that the safety of whistleblowers is anything but guaranteed under current whistleblowing protection policies. Because of this, whistleblowers are forced to endure a hostile environment despite the fact that they provide an invaluable role as independent watchdogs against illegal, immoral, and illegitimate practices conducted by certain institutions and organizations. By proving without a shadow of a doubt that the life of a whistleblower is both difficult and dangerous, the hope of this study is to shed light on this troubling issue to bring further attention to the inadequate laws and policies in place that are supposedly meant to protect them.

Being a whistleblower in this day and age is undoubtedly a risky business. Whistleblowing takes a lot of courage for an individual to come out and tell the truth even if the truth means losing their jobs, or worse (Dussuyer & Smith, 2018). It absolutely cannot be understated how important a whistleblower's involvement is in cases concerning various branches of government as well as both the private and public sectors (Call, Martin, Sharp, & Wilde, 2017). Without their involvement, there is no telling how much copious amounts of corruption within these institutions would remain unchecked. Yet, despite all the good they provide society, and the laws set in place to guarantee their protection, the environment whistleblowers find themselves in once they have exposed the truth does not seem to be all too hospitable. This begs to ask the research question: RQ: Is it likely that a whistleblower will face consequences if they expose sensitive information within an institution or organization?