Ethical whistleblower response
Jeffrey Wigand put his economic future as well as coworkers and his family at risk to expose the tobacco companies. Would you have done the same thing share your thoughts?

While the idea of Whistleblower began as a good and moral thing to do to expose corruption, bad business practices or systematic workplace practices that discriminated or unduly abused the employer-employee relationship, it has become a political tool in recent history. The classic view of whistleblower is provided by the Government Accountability Project. (n.d.) as “An employee who discloses information that s/he reasonably believes is evidence of illegality, gross waste or fraud, mismanagement, abuse of power, general wrongdoing, or a substantial and specific danger to public health and safety”. This for the most part if used properly and with correct motivations or reasons for the whistleblowing can serve as an excellent method of providing checks and balances to unethical decision making and or business practices that in some way harm the public. An area of whistleblowing that is where a defense contractor overcharges for a part or product such as the infamous $600.00 toilet seat. I do believe that as an ex-Marine whistleblowing in matters of operational methods and tactics whistleblowing is not noble or necessary due to the fact that in most cases they are done because of political views of beliefs which in that instance is not whistleblowing but leaking. This is supported by the views of Entman et al. (2009) which states “Leaking implies that the information should not be disclosed, and that the leaker has a nefarious purpose; Whistleblowing implies a legally protected and/or ethically justified release of information intended to expose wrongdoing. Framing can exert powerful effects on opinions” (Touchton et al, 2020, p.2). The country recently experienced this in the recent impeachment procedures with our current President and depending on how you view the situation you would label it either leaking or whistleblowing.

The case of Dr. Jeffrey Wigand

Dr. Wigand reported that the tobacco company Brown & Williamson was adding the addictive chemical nicotine to their tobacco products. I would suggest and agree that he acted with a high degree of moral intelligence due to the fact that he risked his life, had an eventual divorce, risked his career and eventually went on to form the organization “Smoke free Kids” (Jones, 2012, p. 640). The organization educates children throughout the world that exposes the methods tobacco companies to influence children into smoking. This sincere effort by Dr. Wigand surely exemplifies moral intelligence. I believe in that instance I would do the same thing especially concerning my own past in battling addiction and helping others do the same.