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To Blow or Not to Blow
If You Blow the Whistle, Blow Wisely!!
During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.
—George Orwell
On August 1, 2007, a major interstate bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the city where I work and live, collapsed during the evening rush hour.
This tragedy resulted in 13 deaths and injured over 100 motorists. Two months later, Minnesota bridge inspector and union official Bart Andersen told Congress that the state lacked the staff and funding to adequately inspect its bridges and guarantee public safety. Minnesota Department of Transportation officials immediately tried to discredit Andersen’s testimony as “inaccurate.” They then attacked his personal integrity and accused him of being “a union troublemaker.” So much for trying to do the right thing! It seemed to be the kind of situation to which German philosopher Goethe was referring when he said, “No good deed goes unpunished.”
The term whistle-blower has become a catch-all description for any employee who learns of any illegal, unethical, or incompetent activity and reports it. Speaking up may be the right—and even heroic—thing to do; however, it will almost always have a negative affect on the whistle-blower’s career. Whistle-blowing involves taking on an enormous risk—to both your reputation and your livelihood. You always have to ask yourself, is doing the right thing always the right thing to do?
Whistle-blowing is rife with ethical dilemmas and personal risks ...
