Who benefits from whistleblowing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Who benefits from whistleblowing - Essay Example One of the biggest beneficiaries of whistle blowing is the public because it is through the activities of whistleblowers that they come to attain knowledge concerning what is going on in their lives. Whistle blowing allows the public to make an assessment of the activities that are taking place in their societies and to take action to prevent any negative effects of the said activities from affecting them. In most instances, whistleblowers, especially in the public sector, provide information to the public, not for their own benefit, but as a means of doing the right thing (Wilkey 2003, p.331). When whistle blowing takes place, it is for the benefit of the public because it makes the public aware of incidents that might be going on secretly and causing them harm. For example, a whistleblower might bring to light information concerning a drug from a pharmaceutical company that while it is officially believed to be effective, is in fact having negative side effects on its users. The in formation gained from the whistleblower leads to investigations whose results, if they are found to be true, end up helping the public a great deal. Not only does such information ensure the safety of patients who might have used the drug, but it also helps those patients who had negative side effects to successfully sue the company involved and receive compensation. Therefore, in this case, a major beneficiary of whistle blowing activities is the public since it is the audience of the information and it is the only one which can put pressure on the government to act in bringing accountability to public institutions. Business organisations can also be beneficiaries of whistle blowing and this is especially based on preserving their reputations. Businesses that encourage a culture of internal whistle blowing make it possible for information to be given to management