The whistleblowers’ charter

Abstract

Whistleblowing – the unauthorized disclosure of illegal or unethical conduct within an organization – has an ancient lineage, although the first known use of the term rather than the concept was in 1963. Far from being subversion, it is a vital, almost indispensable control device. This is seen in case study examples of the Challenger disaster, the North Sea oil rigs and international banking. Despite this, whistleblowers experience discrimination and retaliation. One way forward is to set up codes of practice that will distinguish valid from invalid forms of whistleblowing, and ensure that the contribution of whistleblowers to the organization is maximized and public interest is not sacrificed.