What causes one person observing egregious
wrongdoing to lose sleep every night until the individual notifies the
authorities--while others who witnessed the same events simply
keep going forward with the daily tasks of everyday life as if
nothing special had occurred? The answers are not simple.
Being a whistleblower is not usually easy. Most whistleblowers are
not out looking for wrongdoing or fraud committed by their
employer or others. Instead, they find themselves in a position where to
protect themselves or others, they have little or no choice but to
either become part of the wrongdoing or oppose and report it to
proper authorities. In short, most whistleblowers are simply
"trying to do the right thing."
Whistleblowers are sometimes portrayed in the
media as "lone wolves." But, it is common for whistleblowers to be individuals who are
active in their community or profession, who are involved in extra
activities at work, in
their neighborhood, or through a faith-based group. Many are
also soccer coaches, youth group leaders, tutors for
underprivileged children, union stewards, and volunteers in clubs,
schools, and organizations. Even before they became
whistleblowers, these are people who have seen a need
or recognized that something needs fixing and have stepped in to
help where others did not.
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