To continue our Scandal Series, we wanted to talk a little bit about the people who call attention to scandal.
Some scandals are revealed by individuals who discover wrongdoing within an affiliated organization (e.g. Mark “Deep Throat” Felt) during Watergate). Whistleblowers are usually insiders with access to privileged information, and may be protected by laws intended to expose misdeeds. Nevertheless, no one likes a “squealer,” so these individuals often suffer greatly after serving the greater good of society. One of the best examples of a whistleblower scandal is the case of Karen Silkwood, who died in a suspicious car accident after exposing lethal levels of plutonium at the Kerr-McGee Plutonium plant where she worked. Her death was vindicated in a 1979 lawsuit that awarded her survivors $10 million in damages, though they eventually settled for $1.3 million.
Of course there is also Edward Snowden- Whistleblower or Traitor?
Who is your favorite/least favorite Whistleblower?