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Who Are We

University Whistleblowers
Exposing Fraud, Abuse & Frustrations Deserving of Investigation

To go boldly where administrators fear most.

To stare fearlessly at truth and make better decisions.


whistleblower
: one who reveals something covert or who informs against another
especially : an employee who brings wrongdoing by an employer or by other employees to the attention of a government or law enforcement agency
NOTE: A whistleblower is commonly protected legally from retaliation.

I think whistleblowers play a hugely important role in countering the worst corporate and government excesses.
—Damon Poeter

… pledges to protect whistle-blowers who fear reprisals for their efforts.
—Wall Street Journal

Congress also added significant new protection for whistleblowers. The 1986 act provides remedies including reinstatement, back-pay with interest, and, as appropriate, punitive damages for whistleblowers who are discharged, demoted, or discriminated against due to involvement with a False Claims disclosure.
—Bradford A. Penney


WHAT IS WHISTLEBLOWING?
Whistleblowing is the lawful disclosure of information a discloser reasonably believes evidences wrongdoing to an authorized recipient. It is the mechanism to get the right information to the right people to counter wrongdoing and promote proper, effective, and efficient operation of IC functions. Whistleblowing in the IC is extremely important as it ensures that you can “say something” if you have “seen something” while protecting sensitive national security information and activities.

Whistleblowing is a powerful tool to raise awareness of potential issues within IC programs andggrrrt activities. The tool is designed for reporting wrongdoing and not persoy grievances, policy disputes or management disagreements. Each IC agency has appropriate venues to raise such concerns.

Whistleblowing occurs throughout the Federal government every day. Whistleblowing can range from a simple conversation with a supervisor, to contacting an Inspector General (IG) Hotline, to providing information, through the proper channels, to Congress. In each instance of lawful whistleblowing, an individual is getting the right information to the right people.

What Should I Report?
Lawful whistleblowing provides information about wrongdoing to authorized recipients. You have a responsibility to report wrongdoing which can be a violation of any Federal law, rule, or regulation; or gross mismanagement, a gross waste of funds, an abuse of authority, or a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety.

https://www.dni.gov/ICIG-Whistleblower/what-is.html


CAUTION: IS THIS JUST AN AD FOR A LAW FIRM?

https://www.whistleblowers.org/what-is-a-whistleblower/

What is a Whistleblower?
One of the most common questions that we’re asked is: “what is a whistleblower?”

On the simplest level, a whistleblower is someone who reports waste, fraud, abuse, corruption, or dangers to public health and safety to someone who is in the position to rectify the wrongdoing. A whistleblower typically works inside of the organization where the wrongdoing is taking place; however, being an agency or company “insider” is not essential to serving as a whistleblower. What matters is that the individual discloses information about wrongdoing that otherwise would not be known.

Individuals who want to enjoy the protections and rewards of whistleblower law cannot rely on this simplified definition. Instead, they must adhere to the definitions and procedures in the laws under which they are seeking formal whistleblower status.

In the U.S., dozens of whistleblower laws are now in place at the federal, state and local levels, ranging from the False Claims Act to the Clean Air Act to the Antarctic Conservation Act, and each has unique definitions and procedures. There are also a growing number of whistleblower laws in countries outside the U.S., each with their own rules and regulations. The National Whistleblower Center advocates for whistleblower laws around the world that provide strong protections and financial rewards. To support this mission, you can join NWC’s Action Alert Network.

Following whistleblower rules and procedures is important. Although serving as a whistleblower outside these channels may be noble, those who operate within them can secure important protections against retaliation and, in some cases, financial rewards for assisting in the prosecution of the wrongdoer. That’s why the National Whistleblower Center recommends that would-be whistleblowers find an attorney before attempting to blow the whistle. One way to do this is through a secure intake form operated by the National Whistleblower Legal Defense and Education Fund.  You can learn more about that process here.

For additional information on whistleblower rights, read The New Whistleblower’s Handbook, the first-ever guide to whistleblowing, by the nation’s leading whistleblower attorney. The Handbook is a step-by-step guide to the essential tools for successfully blowing the whistle, qualifying for financial rewards, and protecting yourself.

While the tangle of laws regarding whistleblower rights and protections can be confusing, the four-plus decades of success in getting these laws enacted in the U.S. and around the world speaks to an important truth: there is a widespread bipartisan consensus that whistleblowers are a critical tool in combatting fraud and other wrongdoing.

Thousands of people blow the whistle around the world each year on everything from bad accounting to tax fraud to pollution to illegal wildlife trade. These crimes can have a significant financial impact on the government, company shareholders, and taxpayers, and many would be extremely difficult for law enforcement to discover on their own. Without whistleblowers, they would go undetected.

It was whistleblowers who exposed Watergate and the failures of the Vietnam War; who exposed the massive accounting fraud that brought down Enron and WorldCom in the early 2000s; who exposed secret Swiss bank accounts; and who exposed the health dangers of nicotine in tobacco products.

Those are just a few key examples of the magnitude of change that whistleblowers can make. They are integral to the health of the government, the economy, and the public. That is why the National Whistleblower Center is working every day to support whistleblowers by assisting them in finding legal aid, advocating for policy protections, and celebrating their achievements.

FIND AN ATTORNEY
WHAT IS A WHISTLEBLOWER?
WHAT TO KNOW
PROTECTIONS AND REWARDS
STOP RETALIATION
MAJOR LAWS
FAQS
WHISTLEBLOWER’S HANDBOOK
JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST
MAKE AN IMPACT
Have you suffered retaliation for reporting waste, fraud, or other illegal activities? Click here for resources for finding an attorney.