What is National Whistleblower Day?
On July 30th, the day our Founding Fathers understood the importance of shielding those who witness misconduct when they see it. The day reminds us to respect and help those who speak out about fraud, misappropriation, or waste.
#nationalwhistleblowerday
A whistleblower is someone who reports suspicious conduct. These include offences, exploitation, misrepresentations, or other infractions. The operation may be within or outside an organization, public or private. Notably, whistleblowers' history is long and often unsuccessful. Although legislation now shields whistleblowers from retaliation by their employers (see Gravitt below), whistleblowers nevertheless carry a heavy burden. Usually, court disputes follow after they have filed a report.
Lieutenant Richard Marven and midshipman Samuel Shaw in 1777 were among the events that were put into motion by the day. Marven and Shaw served in the Continental Navy, making them the first whistleblowers in the United States. Commodore Esek Hopkins abused British prisoners against British prisoners. The two men, as well as eight other sailors, reported assaults against British prisoners. The Continental Congress passed the world's first bill shielding whistleblowers as a result of the sailors' reports.
Mark Felt, one of the most prominent whistleblowers in the US government, was one of the most notable whistleblowers in the US government. He was instrumental in assisting Washington Post reporters Bob Woodard and Carl Bernstein in exposing the Watergate affair for years as Deep Throat. They investigated wiretapping and stealing relating to President Richard Nixon's reelection bid from 1972 to 1974.
