A
whistleblower is someone in an
organization who witnesses behavior by members that is either contrary to the mission of the organization, or threatening to the public interest, and who decides to speak out publicly about it. For instance,
Jeffrey Wigand[?] is a well-known whistleblower in the United States for his role in the
Big Tobacco[?] scandal, revealing that executives of the companies knew that cigarettes were addictive and that they added other carcinogenic ingredients to the cigarettes.
It is not uncommon for whistleblowers to be quickly fired from the organization. Official laws protecting whistleblowers exist in several countries. See the United States False Claims Law.
See also: dissent, suppression of dissent[?]
Relevant links:
US Government Accountability Project: http://www.whistleblower.org
US National Whistleblower Project: http://www.whistleblowers.org