Whistleblowing : When It Works - and Why

Whistleblowers can ruin lives--and can save them. Is it worth it? Roberta Ann Johnson explores when and how--and to what effect--people make the choice to blow the whistle. Engrossing case studies from the tobacco industry, to NASA, to the FDA illustrate clearly how individual efforts can and do transform institutions, shape public policy, and serve as a force for democratization.

Adult/High School-Supported by a dozen years of research and study, Johnson matches her findings with individual case studies to explore the history and current status of whistleblowing in America. Concentrating on the public sector, she cites examples that are both familiar (the Challenger tragedy) and less well known (the 1994 Northridge, CA, earthquake). Chapters examine the informers' motivations, how their actions affect public agencies and their practices, protective laws, and how the U.S. encourages whistleblowing elsewhere in the world. Each chapter concludes with a "Tying It All Together" section that neatly summarizes the preceding information and introduces the next topic. The book includes a page of hot-line posters plus reprints of two New Yorker cartoons. The content in this book is sure to spark debate in forums from ethics to sociology to politics.
Dori DeSpain, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

With the public's attention drawn to the scandals of Enron, Worldcom, and other corporate giants, there is renewed interest in whistleblowing. In her timely new book, the author (politics, Univ. of San Francisco) focuses on the public sector, but her analysis and conclusions are easily transferred to whistleblowing in the private sector. Employing a series of case studies (two per topic) such as the failed O-rings of the Challenger disaster and contamination at the Hanford nuclear waste site, Johnson presents brief but informative portraits of the whistleblowers, their motives, the circumstances of each case, and the consequences of whistleblowing for the agency and the person, as well as the rules, regulations, or laws surrounding the issue. Johnson also applies theories developed by other scholars in an effort to determine when and why whistleblowing is successful. The writing is scholarly but accessible. Though Johnson ends on something of a down note about the present state of whistleblower protection, this is an important book worthy of a wide, thoughtful audience. Recommended for public and academic libraries.
Thomas J. Baldino, Wilkes Univ., Wilkes-Barre, PA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.