Theo Nyreröd doesn’t buy into the stereotype that the only good whistleblower is a martyred whistleblower.
The time has come, he says, to dispense with the age-old notion of a morally perfect person who is willing to sacrifice everything – their job, their financial future and their family’s well-being – in order to expose a hidden crime. A penniless whistleblower is not a success story.
“There is a perception that people should have to suffer in order to be a whistleblower,” says Nyreröd, a doctoral researcher in law at Brunel University in London. “The truth is that most people wouldn’t risk their well-paying job at the bank or at the company where they work. They don’t want to throw their career away.”
Acting selflessly for the benefit of society is among the most admirable things a person can do. But if we expect a person to lose everything in the process, says Nyreröd, this is a price that is too high for almost anyone to pay.
Nyreröd’s solution? He is one of the growing number of researchers studying how monetary rewards can incentive vulnerable witnesses to come forward, and compensate them for career damage that in many industries is virtually automatic.
“Paying people for information is a no-brainer. Otherwise, witnesses who are at risk of retaliation are forced to remain silent,” said Nyreröd, who has published many journal articles and policy papers on whistleblower protection and reward programs. “Many people need something more than just the personal...
PICKENS, S.C. — Pickens city councilmembers determined Mayor Isaiah Scipio acted out of procedure following a tense executive session on Tuesday, while leaving ongoing disputes concerning SLED and...
