4 ms·

Whistleblowing is an amazingly foolish activity for the whistleblower. It might help society, but the consequences tend to destroy the whistleblower. I saw what

Whistleblowing is an amazingly foolish activity for the whistleblower. It might help society, but the consequences tend to destroy the whistleblower. I saw what it did to a close family member who blew the whistle on activities that caused the death of at least one patient. Retaliation against Whistle-Blowers: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished http://blogs.cfainstitute.org/investor/2012/10/24/whistle-blowing-no-good-deed-goes-unpunished/ http://blogs.cfainstitute.org/investor/2012/10/24/whistle-bl... " the results of a 2011 National Business Ethics Survey titled “Retaliation: When Whistleblowers Become Victims.” The report contains some shocking statistics: 45% of US workers observed wrongdoing; 65% of those who witnessed wrongdoing reported it; 22% of those who reported wrongdoing said they experienced retaliation (an increase of 46% from 2009); and 46% of those who observed wrongdoing but chose not to report it, cited fear of retaliation as the reason." The professional consequences of whistleblowing by nurses http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11125963 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11125963 "Abstract When nurses encounter misconduct in the workplace, their ethical codes of conduct bind them to the role of patient advocacy and compel them to safeguard the patient from harm. However, reporting misconduct can be personally and professionally risky. The aim of the research was to examine the professional consequences of whistleblowing and nonwhistleblowing in nursing. A descriptive survey design was used to examine the professional effect of reporting misconduct (whistleblowing) and not reporting misconduct (nonwhistleblowing). Ninety-five respondents were included in the study; 70 were self-identified as whistleblowers and 25 were self-identified as nonwhistleblowers. Results indicated that there were severe professional reprisals if the nurse reported misconduct, but there were few professional consequences if the nurse remained silent. Official reprisals included demotion (4%), reprimand (11%), and referral to a psychiatrist (9%). Whistleblowers also reported that they received professional reprisals in the form of threats (16%), rejection by peers (14%), pressure to resign (7%), and being treated as a traitor (14%). Ten per cent reported that they felt their career had been halted. These findings suggest that when nurses identify and report misconduct in the workplace, they may experience serious professional consequences. "

csandreasen 12y ago
It's hard to say that the disciplinary actions against Capt Wilson were the result of whistleblowing. From the article: When the F-22 was cleared to fly again in September 2011, the Air Force had added a charcoal filter to the breathing system in the hopes of trapping contaminants. But that fix appears to have presented new problems. In the months that followed, pilots discovered the filters were releasing charcoal dust inside their oxygen hoses. The result, according to a letter Wilson's lawyer sent to the inspector general: coughing fits and other respiratory ailments. Members of the squadron, including Wilson, told their commander they wanted to fly without the filter but were informed that anyone who refused would face disciplinary action. Additionally, he was denied promotion and grounded in April 2012. The article doesn't say when it was filmed or if his superiors were aware of the 60 Minutes segment, but that segment didn't air until a month later. It's possible that it was filmed prior to being disciplined and his commander found out, but they had already established that any pilot refusing to fly without the charcoal filter would be disciplined.
- fnordfnordfnord 12y ago
  The oxygen system problem(s) aren't new to the F22. One pilot has been killed, and some pilots have refused to fly the plane over persistent problems that haven't been sorted out. So, Wilson isn't alone in his complaints, and he isn't making things up. http://defensetech.org/2012/05/04/f-22-pilots-to-discuss-why-they-wont-fly-the-jet/ http://defensetech.org/2012/05/04/f-22-pilots-to-discuss-why... http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/05/03/pilots_refuse_f22/ http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/05/03/pilots_refuse_f22/ http://www.scribd.com/doc/85253929/F22-Lawsuit http://www.scribd.com/doc/85253929/F22-Lawsuit http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/m/military_aircraft/f22_airplane/index.html http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects... http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/dod-air-force-wrong-blame-22-pilot-crash/story?id=18464578 http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/dod-air-force-wrong-blame-22-p... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2138684/Family-F22-pilot-killed-oxygen-cut-accuses-Air-Force-cover-blaming-420m-plane-crash.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2138684/Family-F22-p...
  - jcheng 12y ago
    I think csandreasen wasn't saying that the complaints weren't warranted; just that it might have been the refusal to fly, rather than the whistleblowing per se, that stalled his career.
    - csandreasen 12y ago
      That's exactly what I was trying to say - I think this is an issue of pilots getting caught in a health/safety battle, and there's every reason to go about investigating from that angle (I'm assuming that's what the Inspector General investigation is focused on). I don't see the evidence to conclude that he's being reprimanded for whistleblowing.
Spooky23 12y ago
I knew someone who was a nurse who blew the whistle on a life and death situation in a hospital. Her reward? Transfer to the night shift, and somehow her skills weren't needed by other hospitals in the area.
- busterarm 12y ago
  Yep. My mom is a nurse too. Blew the whistle on issues both in the OR (surgeon with poor hygiene & safety; not washing hands, habitually leaving sponges and tools in patients) and in nursing homes (neglect that was literally killing residents). Retaliation each time. At least my mom was good at fighting it - she always managed to come out ahead somehow with a different job or a nice severance. Retaliation for all sorts of things is huge in that profession.

csandreasen 12y ago

It's hard to say that the disciplinary actions against Capt Wilson were the result of whistleblowing. From the article: When the F-22 was cleared to fly again in September 2011, the Air Force had added a charcoal filter to the breathing system in the hopes of trapping contaminants. But that fix appears to have presented new problems. In the months that followed, pilots discovered the filters were releasing charcoal dust inside their oxygen hoses. The result, according to a letter Wilson's lawyer sent to the inspector general: coughing fits and other respiratory ailments. Members of the squadron, including Wilson, told their commander they wanted to fly without the filter but were informed that anyone who refused would face disciplinary action. Additionally, he was denied promotion and grounded in April 2012. The article doesn't say when it was filmed or if his superiors were aware of the 60 Minutes segment, but that segment didn't air until a month later. It's possible that it was filmed prior to being disciplined and his commander found out, but they had already established that any pilot refusing to fly without the charcoal filter would be disciplined.

fnordfnordfnord 12y ago
The oxygen system problem(s) aren't new to the F22. One pilot has been killed, and some pilots have refused to fly the plane over persistent problems that haven't been sorted out. So, Wilson isn't alone in his complaints, and he isn't making things up. http://defensetech.org/2012/05/04/f-22-pilots-to-discuss-why-they-wont-fly-the-jet/ http://defensetech.org/2012/05/04/f-22-pilots-to-discuss-why... http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/05/03/pilots_refuse_f22/ http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/05/03/pilots_refuse_f22/ http://www.scribd.com/doc/85253929/F22-Lawsuit http://www.scribd.com/doc/85253929/F22-Lawsuit http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/m/military_aircraft/f22_airplane/index.html http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects... http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/dod-air-force-wrong-blame-22-pilot-crash/story?id=18464578 http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/dod-air-force-wrong-blame-22-p... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2138684/Family-F22-pilot-killed-oxygen-cut-accuses-Air-Force-cover-blaming-420m-plane-crash.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2138684/Family-F22-p...
- jcheng 12y ago
  I think csandreasen wasn't saying that the complaints weren't warranted; just that it might have been the refusal to fly, rather than the whistleblowing per se, that stalled his career.
  - csandreasen 12y ago
    That's exactly what I was trying to say - I think this is an issue of pilots getting caught in a health/safety battle, and there's every reason to go about investigating from that angle (I'm assuming that's what the Inspector General investigation is focused on). I don't see the evidence to conclude that he's being reprimanded for whistleblowing.

Spooky23 12y ago

I knew someone who was a nurse who blew the whistle on a life and death situation in a hospital. Her reward? Transfer to the night shift, and somehow her skills weren't needed by other hospitals in the area.

busterarm 12y ago
Yep. My mom is a nurse too. Blew the whistle on issues both in the OR (surgeon with poor hygiene & safety; not washing hands, habitually leaving sponges and tools in patients) and in nursing homes (neglect that was literally killing residents). Retaliation each time. At least my mom was good at fighting it - she always managed to come out ahead somehow with a different job or a nice severance. Retaliation for all sorts of things is huge in that profession.