What causes someone to be a whistleblower while others seem content to go about business as usual?
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
