Most Whistleblowers aren’t in it for the Money; Obama Reviews Secrecy

This article from the Washington Examiner details how some whistleblowers who bring forth qui tam actions receive significant percentages of large monetary settlements between the government and company found in the wrong.

However, the great majority of whistleblowers, in GAP’s long and learned history, do not proceed with their actions for potential financial gain. The great majority do so because they have uncovered a wrong that they feel compelled to correct or expose, as it is a moral issue. This often involves protecting the public health, or safeguarding against public fraud.

Switching gears, yesterday President Obama ordered a review of government secrecy practices regarding the classification of documents. The Bush administration was highly criticized by transparency activists for over-classifying materials and creating or overusing pseudo-classification levels for documents such as “Sensitive but Unclassified,” “For Official Use Only,” and “Law Enforcement Sensitive.”

GAP’s television program, Whistle Where You Work, covered this topic late last year in an episode focusing on national security whistleblowers and their rights in the federal government. You can watch that episode by clicking here.

-- Dylan Blaylock