Whistle Blowing

This guide is intended to provide general information about whistleblowers and whistleblowing law. A whistleblower may be defined as any employee who attempts to stop, report or testify about an employer’s actions which are illegal or endanger the health and well-being of the employee or the public. Some well-known whistleblowers include Karen Silkwood, Jeffrey Wigand, Frederic Whitehurst and Linda Tripp.

The materials in this guide should be comprehensible to laypersons, and do not include specific legal resources. Laws which protect whistleblowers from retaliation can vary according to country, state, province, or municipality. This pathfinder attempts to encompass a global perspective on whistleblower law, but is subject to a US bias.

Internet Resources

Whistleblower Newsletters
http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS71328
A chronological index to judicial decisions about whistleblower protection provided by the Office of Administrative Law Judges.

US Government Accountability Project
http://www.whistleblower.org/template/index.cfm
"The Government Accountability Project (GAP) is a 30-year-old nonprofit public interest group that promotes government and corporate accountability by advancing occupational free speech, defending whistleblowers, and empowering citizen activists."

Whistleblowers Australia
http://www.whistleblowers.org.au/
"The goal of Whistleblowers Australia (WBA) is to help promote a society in which it is possible to speak out without reprisal about corruption, dangers to the public and environment, and other vital social issues, and to help those who speak out in this way to help themselves. WBA uses two main approaches to achieve this goal. The first is to encourage self-help and mutual help among whistleblowers, and the second is to support campaigns on specific issues."

Open Democracy Advice Centre
http://www.opendemocracy.org.za/
A South African organization with a mission to promote "open and transparent democracy; foster a culture of corporate and government accountability; and assist people in South Africa to be able to realize their human rights." Useful information is available through the website, as well as through a confidential hotline.

OSHA Whistleblower Protection Program
http://www.osha.gov/dep/oia/whistleblower/index.html
This page from the US Office of the Whistleblower Protection Program outlines and contains links to the statutes involved in protecting employees from retaliation. Also contains links to recent news and publications.

US Department of Labor Whistleblower Protections
http://www.dol.gov/compliance/laws/comp-whistleblower.htm
Provides an overview of whistleblower protections, as well as links to compliance assistance, applicable laws and regulations.

General Information about Whistleblowing and Retaliation
http://www.workplacefairness.org/generalwhistleblowing
An FAQ about retaliation and whistleblowing, provided by Workplace Fairness, a non-profit organization that "provides information, education, and assistance to individual workers and their advocates nationwide and promotes public policies that advance employee rights." In order to access this page, a user must first agree to a disclaimer.

Print Resources

The Library of Congress call numbers for works related to Whistleblowing are HD60 and HF5387. These works may also be classified by the Dewey Decimal System under the subject of Law, between numbers 340 to 354.

Whistle Blowing: When It Works and Why
Roberta Ann Johnson. (2003) L. Rienner Publishers, Boulder, CO. 171 pp.
Through a number of legal cases, Johnson examines the causes and effects of corporate whistleblowing. This book provides a look into "the motivational factors behind whistle blowing, the conditions necessary for whistle blowing to result in policy change, and the legal protections afforded whistle blowers."

Whistleblowers: Broken Lives and Organizational Power
C. Fred Alford. (2001) Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY. 170 pp.
In this grim look at the reality of whistleblowing, Alford examines the stories of the whistleblowers themselves, as well as their family, friends, lawyers and even therapists.

Whistleblowing and Organizational Social Responsibility: A Global Assessment
Wim Vandekerckhove. (2006) Ashgate, Burlington, VT. 344 pp.
This book provides an analysis of international policies about whistleblowing and their effectiveness at institutionalizing the practice.

Whistleblowing Around the World: Law, Culture and Practice
Richard Calland and Guy Dehn. (2004) Idasa, London. 207 pp.

Whistleblowing at Work: Tough Choices in Exposing Fraud, Waste and Abuse on the Job Terance D. Miethe. (1999) Westview Press, Boulder, CO. 252 pp.
"Early chapters define whistleblowing, identifying its major forms, and describing the problems with studying whistleblowers. The book then turns to the social and psychological attributes of whistleblowers, the situational factors, and the organizational characteristics that increase or decrease the likelihood of its occurence. Subsequent chapters examine the individual and organizational consequences of whistleblowing, the legal rights and safeguards for whistleblowers, and particular case histories."

This pathfinder was created by Jill Keller for Info 780 Special Topics: Digital Reference, Dr. Eileen Abels, Drexel University, Fall 2007.