Is the cost of whistle blowing still too high?

As I’ve written on my personal blog I'd like to hope that the #notw story signifies a change in people speaking up and saying “enough” to unacceptable practices. I suspect however that it's the very fact that speaking up in this instance isn't personally impacting those doing it that it’s happening at all.

I might be wrong but the reason the phone hacking has finally come to blows is either due to those who are no longer working within or already outside the situation providing irrefutable evidence about what’s been going on. The flames have then been fanned by public opinion – although interestingly the level of fanning certainly ramped up when emotions were engaged when the irrefutable evidence moved from seemingly less serious phone hacking of celebrities to that of bereaved families.

For me, however, this is as much a story about those within the situation that knew what was going on and the lack of action they took. I don’t mean those lacking in ethics and integrity encouraging the actions but those who turned a blind eye?

Within relationships, teams, groups, organisations and governments there’s always people who know what’s going on. Usually however self interest (keeping their job and, if I get off my Pollyanna step for a moment, perhaps even fearing for their lives) stops them saying anything. Which means situations such as these continue for far too long. Here in the UK this has included more far reaching issues such as going to war on Iraq and the banking crisis. 

I’m not sure I know how to encourage us all to let go of self interest and act for the greater good by whistle blowing but I know I’d love us to try. Until we do then I’m not sure, because of the numerous times each day we accept the unacceptable, any of us have any right to point fingers at others.

Is honesty too much to ask? But perhaps I should just get off my Pollyanna step J.