Small Business Resources, Business Advice and Forms from AllBusiness.com

The new whistleblower

Tuesday, August 29 2006

Check out this WaPo article about a Lockheed Martin engineer who blew the whistle on a Coast Guard project by making a video and uploading it to YouTube (here it is). That's pretty creative, and it ought to send chills down the spines of would-be Enron'ers.

Whistleblowing is still hard work, but apparently YouTube just helped lessen the burden. I'm trying to imagine exactly how it would look if someone took this route in a corporate case. Instant lawsuit, for starters--irrespective of whether the allegations are true.

This guy's scenario was a little different. According to WaPo, he was apparently slated for a layoff anyway, and it looks like he made the most of it.

Latest Comments

Yeah we don't need any Enroner's. What we need are more "socially responsible" business leaders. Since ?green? businesses are popping up left and right, I love that The Social Venture Network is holding a contest to reward business leaders of socially responsible companies! If you know a CEO or high-level person in such a company, please send them to the Social Venture Network site and look for the "Imagine Whats Next" contest.They are holding this contest to reward business leaders for starting or running socially responsible companies. This seems to be a growing trend, and a colleague of mine who works at a non-profit sent it to me.

Comment By: Charles  |  6/27/07 at 12:12 PM The new whistleblower

A colleague of mine who works at a non-profit sent that website to me: www.svn.org/imaginewhatsnext. I?m trying to start a non-profit myself and I can use all the help I can get! I thought I would pass it along if anyone were interested.

Comment By: Brady  |  6/27/07 at 7:31 PM The new whistleblower

I applaude DeKort's creativity and leadership. This was an ethical human being at his best. Taking the lead and standing up for what is right is both risky and often career ending. But DeKort felt a higher purpose to protect the public and did the right thing. Despirate times call for creative measures and he certainly rose to the challenge. He should be rewarded by the government and the public as a person who save them from potential danger and financial risk. I would hire this guy in a minute.

Comment By: Debra Bannister, Performance Specialist  |  7/9/07 at 12:09 PM The new whistleblower
You must sign-in or sign-up to comment on this post.

Small Business Expert
rlesonsky_80
Ask Rieva Lesonsky, Our
Small Business Expert,
Your Question
Sales Expert
krosen_80
Ask Keith Rosen, Our
Sales Expert,
Your Question
Business Travel Expert
krosen_80
Ask Ken Walker, Our
Business Travel Expert,
Your Question
Invention Expert
Ask Stephen Key, Our
Expert on Licensing Your
Invention, a Question
Managing Sales: Motivate Through Pleasure, Not Fear
Advice from AllBusiness.com's Sales Advisor Keith Rosen.