Sharon Watkins earned an honest-to-goodness 15 minutes of fame as the Enron employee who blew the lid off then-CEO Ken Lay's debauchery. But for every famous whistleblower, there are hundreds who remain in the shadows. And for the good Samaritans who tell their story, the price they pay can be exorbitant. Whistleblowers have many careers and are found at all levels of an organization: scientists and secretaries, lawyers and paralegals, managers and staff, security personnel and IT specialists. , etc. They are as diverse as the general population in age, ethnic origin, education, profession, gender and income. Whistleblowing is a relatively recent entry into the vocabulary of politics and public affairs, although the type of behavior it refers to is not entirely new. How is it defined? Whistleblowing is a warning to the public by a member or former member of an organization about a serious wrongdoing or danger created or hidden within the organization. In a true whistleblower case, the whistleblower should have unsuccessfully used all appropriate channels within the organization to correct a mistake. Many see whistleblowing as an external action towards an unresponsive organization and whistleblowing more as an internal process, carried out through organizational channels. I believe one should unsuccessfully exhaust all internal channels of communication before “going public.” ...... half the paper ...... truth and destroys the personal and professional life of the whistleblower. They perform an altruistic and valuable service for society. They strive to protect our government, enforce the laws it enacts, and promote the stated ethics of society. All of this is done at great risk to themselves, their careers and their loved ones. Without their acts of courage, our world would be a more dangerous, deceptive, and difficult place. References The world of whistleblowers: are they sinners or saints? by Jacqueline P. Taylor, Esq.Whistle Blower Protection by John Steven NiznikWhistleblower from Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaWatergate Scandal from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia