Why Whistleblowers Are Important?

Security is a blanket term for hiding just about everything. We talked a lot about security prior to September 11, 2001. On September 12, security national, personal and otherwise became vitally important.

There is no doubt that the world we're living in is getting increasingly dangerous. Anyone who says otherwise is out of touch with reality and doesn't understand the real world. The need for security and confidentiality cannot be over emphasized. Security is one of the key weapons that is necessary for us to defend ourselves against the forces that would harm us.

But, and this is a really big but, the need for security can be misused to cover up actions that are illegal or unethical. It’s easy to hide an illegal wiretap on the grounds that national security demanded it. Or for a pharmaceutical company to change the formulation of some of their medicines (to cut costs) without FDA approval on the grounds that it is a matter of company survival and job preservation.

It’s impossible to have the necessary oversight on the actions taken by companies or the federal government. But the heightened need for security and confidentiality at all levels, from the government to the large corporation, to the local business, makes it easy to hide that which is illegal, immoral and unethical. Allowing these actions to go unchecked is inviting disaster.

One of the best methods of protection against the misuse of the power to conceal is the whistleblower. Why? The legitimate whistleblower knows when power is being misused and truth is being concealed. As a part of the system, the he or she knows how it and works and is familiar with the players.

Whistleblowers possess a unique perspective – one that no one else has. And no one is in a better position to expose wrong doing than they are. People who have the courage to stand up against corporate and governmental greed are more necessary today than at any other time in our history. It is important that we continue to enact laws that will protect them because their actions, in the end, protect all of us.