The term “whistleblowing” comes from England, where policemen, as in many other countries around the world, used to “blow the whistle” when they spotted an illegal activity, calling the attention of both other policemen and passers-by. This English word is widely used to refer to misconduct reports both in corporate and public organizations. Whistleblowing carries “the voice of conscience”1 – a new name for an old practice.2 The term was used for the first time in the US in 1963, when Otto Otopeka, a public servant, revealed classified documents to the Chief Counsel of the US Senate’s Subcommittee on Homeland Security and was subsequently fired for inappropriate conduct.3 Whistleblowing is usually defined as the disclosure of information that a current or former organization member reasonably believes is evidence of illegal, immoral or illegitimate practices carried out by other organization members to other people and/or organizations that may be able to effect action.

Reporting inadequate behavior, either internally – to superiors, compliance officers, senior managers, auditors, etc., – or externally – to law enforcement and regulatory agencies, for example, can prove problematic. In fact, whistleblowers may be deemed as either heroes or traitors. Some whistleblowers, like Watergate’s Deep Throat, or Cynthia Cooper, who was named “Woman of the Year” by Time magazine after she played a key role at uncovering a massive fraud at Worldcom, the whistleblowers at Enron and the FBI, and Harry Markopolos, who reported anomalies at the infamous Bernard Madoff’s financial companies for years, have gained notoriety, but most whistleblowers have a hard time. Their superiors and colleagues, as well as the public opinion, view them as traitors who have betrayed their respective organizations. Whistleblowing is a significant, complex issue largely because, typically, what happens inside organizations remains undisclosed. Organizations are rarely transparent, keeping – often for sound reasons – their inner workings confidential. WikiLeaks and its recent dissemination of classified US diplomatic wires, coupled with its promise of future revelations about large corporations, rally enormous attention from the public at large while causing concern at the organizations involved. However, WikiLeaks does not qualify as a whistleblower, as it indiscriminately discloses internal documents, while whistleblowers specifically report on illegal activities.

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