The Corporate Whistleblower's Survival Guide

“Blowing the whistle is a life-altering experience. Taking the first step is the hardest, knowing that you can never turn back. Harder yet is not taking the step and allowing the consequences of not blowing the whistle to continue, knowing you could have stopped them. Your life will be forever changed; friends and family will question your actions if not your sanity, your peers will shun you, every relationship you treasure will be strained to the breaking point. This handbook is required reading for anyone considering blowing the whistle.” —Richard and Donna Parks, Three Mile Island cleanup whistleblower and wife “The Corporate Whistleblower’s Survival Guide will be an immense help! For while there are no one-size-fits-all ‘right answers,’ the authors have effectively translated their decades of actual experience, insights, and resources in this field onto paper. A realistic framework will now exist to help people confronting such difficult situations.” —Coleen Rowley, FBI 9/11 whistleblower and a 2002 Time Person of the Year “Lays out exactly what potential corporate whistleblowers must know to help improve their chances of both surviving whistleblowing and stopping the misconduct they set out to expose. My only hope is that we can help spread the word so that all potential corporate whistleblowers read this book before they take their first steps down that lonely road.” —Danielle Brian, Executive Director, Project on Government Oversight “As commissioner, I relied on whistleblowers like Jeffrey Wigand to learn the inside story about the deceptive practices of the tobacco industry. Later, I became a whistleblower. I was fortunate to have the guidance of the Government Accountability Project and its legal director Tom Devine to traverse this rocky terrain. The Corporate Whistleblower’s Survival Guide draws on GAP’s vast experience to capture what happens when someone blows the whistle, and it distills it in plain English. I highly recommend it.” —Dr. David Kessler, former Commissioner, Food and Drug Administration “A readable and reliable road map for navigating the rocky shoals of candor in a corporate setting. From construction site to cubicle to boardroom, this compendium is an indispensible resource—don’t leave home without having read it.” —Jeff Ruch, Executive Director, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility “The Corporate Whistleblower’s Survival Guide can be read as a history of corporate whistleblower protection, as a survey of law and regulations, as an assessment of varying approaches to whistleblower protection, and as a framework for evaluating current debates. In this regard the guide can be of value to corporate officials, to legislators, and to those interested in public policy.” —Robert G. Vaughn, A. Allen King Scholar, American University Washington College of Law “The only fault I find with this book is that it was published too late to help my case. I encourage all truth tellers, sentinels, and honest and brave soldiers for truth to read this book before they start running the gauntlet of our legal system.” —David Welch, bank insider-trading whistleblower, Bank of Floyd, Floyd, Virginia “When faced with wrongdoing on the job, making the decision to be a whistleblower is extraordinarily difficult. But ‘committing the truth’ will help many individuals take that step—responsibly and productively and with the support needed to really make a difference. Through guidance on making a decision, bringing the right information to the right people, and dealing with the media constructively, as well as explaining critical legal rights and limitations, Devine and Maassarani have created a guidebook that can make that difference—not just for whistleblowers but also for all of us who benefit from their actions.” —Susan Wood, former Director, Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Women’s Health, who resigned to protest politically motivated delays in approving the Plan B “morning-after” pill “Shows how to successfully blow the whistle and plot a course to save or salvage one’s career, and offers experience and testimonies that just might safeguard one’s sanity and personal life.” —Sherron Watkins, former Vice President, Enron, and a 2002 Time Person of the Year “A crucial guide . . . [It] will help . . . whistleblowers in plotting a rational strategy, considering the ramifications, and making a decision.” —Sharyl Attkisson, CBS News Investigative Correspondent “A beacon, a buoy, and a life jacket complete with instructions on how to stay afloat, navigate, and survive the turbulent, shark-infested waters of today’s greedy and corrupt corporate world.” —Frank Serpico, legendary NYPD whistleblower