The Whistle-Blower as Deep Mole
Spying on Malfeasance
Macaray, David
http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/05/30/the-whistle-blower-as-deep-mole/
Date Written: 2014-05-30
Publisher: Counterpunch
Year Published: 2014
Resource Type: Article
Cx Number: CX16284
There’s an intriguing idea based loosely on the turn-of-the-century union practice of "salting" a workplace. Salting consists of union activists secretly hiring into an anti-union shop in order to promote unionism from within.
Abstract:
-
Excerpt:
The intriguing idea we speak of is to "salt" places like chemical plants, insurance companies, defense plants, Wall Street firms, pharmaceutical labs, police departments, etc., with designated, pre-programmed whistle-blowers for the sole purpose of exposing illegal or unethical activities. Relying on home-grown, "accidental" whistle-blowers isn't enough. They will forever be outgunned and outmanned.
As we all know, despite laws "protecting" the garden variety whistle-blower, he or she is almost always met with retaliation or ignominy. It's a risky venture. Moreover, whistle-blowing is usually a byproduct of employee disillusionment or outrage, which, even in extreme instances, can be readily neutralized by fear of job loss. With their economic futures at stake, people are more apt to simply look the other way than "turn traitor." It will be totally different with trained cadres doing this work.
Subject Headings
