Editing Whistleblowing (section)

==== Public sector whistleblowing ====
[[File:Praha, Magistrát, konference, Libor Michálek.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|Czech whistleblower [[Libor Michálek]] was fired from his position after exposing high-level corruption.]]

Public sector whistleblowing is connected to the concept of [[public service motivation]], where a public servant's [[Altruism|altruistic]] alignment to the people or communities they service overrides their adherence to their employer's rules.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Latan |first1=Hengky |last2=Chiappetta Jabbour |first2=Charbel Jose |last3=Ali |first3=Murad |last4=Lopes de Sousa Jabbour |first4=Ana Beatriz |last5=Vo-Thanh |first5=Tan |date=2023 |title=What Makes You a Whistleblower? A Multi-Country Field Study on the Determinants of the Intention to Report Wrongdoing |journal=Journal of Business Ethics |volume=183 |issue=3 |pages=885–905 |doi=10.1007/s10551-022-05089-y |issn=0167-4544 |pmc=8949648 |pmid=35350831}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lee |first1=Euipyo |last2=Lewis-Liu |first2=Tinganxu |last3=Khurana |first3=Shaun |last4=Lu |first4=Ming |date=2023-08-24 |title=A systematic review of the link between public service motivation and ethical outcomes |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23276665.2023.2247101 |journal=Asia Pacific Journal of Public Administration |pages=1–28 |doi=10.1080/23276665.2023.2247101 |issn=2327-6665}}</ref> This connection has been demonstrated by research in many different countries, including Poland,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Prysmakova |first1=Palina |last2=Evans |first2=Michelle D. |date=March 2022 |title=Whistleblowing Motivation and Gender: Vignette-Based Study in a Local Government |journal=Review of Public Personnel Administration |volume=42 |issue=1 |pages=165–190 |doi=10.1177/0734371X20967982 |s2cid=228842548 |issn=0734-371X}}</ref> Thailand<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Potipiroon |first=Wisanupong |date=June 2024 |title=Reward Expectancy and External Whistleblowing: Testing the Moderating Roles of Public Service Motivation, Seriousness of Wrongdoing, and Whistleblower Protection |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00910260231222814 |journal=Public Personnel Management |volume=53 |issue=2 |pages=309–345 |doi=10.1177/00910260231222814 |issn=0091-0260}}</ref> and the United States of America.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Caillier |first=James Gerard |date=October 2017 |title=Public Service Motivation and Decisions to Report Wrongdoing in U.S. Federal Agencies: Is This Relationship Mediated by the Seriousness of the Wrongdoing |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0275074015626299 |journal=The American Review of Public Administration |volume=47 |issue=7 |pages=810–825 |doi=10.1177/0275074015626299 |issn=0275-0740}}</ref>

Recognition of the value of public sector whistleblowing has been growing over the last 50 years. Many jurisdictions have passed legislation to protect public service whistleblowing in part as a way to address unethical behaviour and corruption within public service agencies.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Whistleblower Laws Around the World |url=https://www.whistleblowers.org/whistleblower-laws-around-the-world/ |access-date=2024-09-28 |website=National Whistleblower Center }}</ref>

In the United States, for example, both state and [[Federal statute]]s have been put in place to protect whistleblowers from retaliation. The [[United States Supreme Court]] ruled that public sector whistleblowers are protected from retaliation by their [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]] rights.<ref name="Lehman-2005">{{cite book |last1=Lehman |first1=Jeffrey |last2=Phelps |first2=Shirelle |title=West's Encyclopedia of American Law, Vol. 10 |date=2005 |publisher=Thomson/Gale |location=Detroit |isbn=9780787663773 |page=355 |edition=2}}</ref> After many federal whistleblowers were covered in high-profile media cases, laws were finally introduced to protect government whistleblowers. These laws were enacted to help prevent corruption and encourage people to expose misconduct, illegal, or dishonest activity for the good of society.<ref>{{Cite journal | doi=10.1177/009102601104000405 |title = Whistleblower Retaliation in the Public Sector|journal = Public Personnel Management|volume = 40|issue = 4|pages = 341–348|year = 2011|last1 = Lee|first1 = Katie|last2 = Kleiner|first2 = Brian|s2cid = 153833481}}</ref> People who choose to act as whistleblowers often suffer [[retaliation]] from their employer. They most likely are fired because they are an [[at-will employee]], which means they can be fired without a reason. There are exceptions in place for whistleblowers who are at-will employees. Even without a statute, numerous decisions encourage and protect whistleblowing on grounds of public policy. Statutes state that an employer shall not take any adverse employment actions against any employee in retaliation for a good-faith report of a whistleblowing action or cooperating in any way in an investigation, proceeding, or lawsuit arising under said action.<ref name="Lehman-2005" /> Federal whistleblower legislation includes a statute protecting all government employees. In the federal civil service, the government is prohibited from taking, or threatening to take, any personnel action against an employee because the employee disclosed information that they reasonably believed showed a violation of law, gross mismanagement, and gross waste of funds, abuse of authority, or a substantial and specific danger to [[public safety]] or health. To prevail on a claim, a federal employee must show that a protected disclosure was made, that the accused official knew of the disclosure, that retaliation resulted, and that there was a genuine connection between the retaliation and the employee's action.<ref name="Lehman-2005" />