Basil Jarrett | Whistle-blowers are brave soldiers

MY ONE-MAN crusade against social media is well known. From the killer dating app of the early 2000s, to the app killer of careers, reputations and relationships today, the social media debate has begun to draw parallels with the prohibition movement of 1920s America. Back then, the US government tried to prevent the manufacture, sale and transportation of alcoholic beverages across the country, not because alcohol was a new and dangerous substance dragging down society, but because an intense religious revivalist movement that sought perfection in man had been ushered in by the church. This is quite similar to what is happening now as the US Congress has suddenly realised the grave dangers posed by an unregulated and unaccountable social media industry, and is trying to claw its way back from the brink. Out of this battle, one woman, Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee, has emerged as the unlikely heroine in this fight to rein in Mr Zuckerberg’s deadly toy. Ms Haugen has testified before Congress about how Facebook deliberately peddles a dangerous product to vulnerable groups such as the young, poor and undereducated, and argues that the social media giant should be subject to the same level of government oversight as alcohol, drugs and tobacco.

Haugen’s motivation for taking on a near trillion-dollar tech giant and becoming the most famous whistle-blower of 2021 arose from a personal quest to “do what is right to save the lives of millions of people”. While I may not have her lofty ideals in the forefront of my mind whenever I decry the social media phenomenon, I am still left impressed by her courage and principled stand. If only there were more Frances Haugens in this world, or to start with, here in Jamaica.

WHISTLE-BLOWER MOTIVATION

Because, as we continue to grapple with this twin-headed monster of corruption and crime, whistle-blowers and whistle-blower legislation have emerged as two vital elements in the law enforcement playbook. But how much can we reasonably expect to gain from these tools, especially in a culture where the moral courage and sheer guts required to maximise their effect appears to be a rare and uncommon commodity.

Perhaps a good place to start is a discussion about the real motivation behind those who choose to risk sacrificing great personal gains to expose injustice and corruption. What are the drivers of that whistle-blowing decision, especially in cases where there are no monetary rewards or other personal gains to be had? Certainly, these actions may appear morally courageous on the surface, but could whistle-blowers be actually motivated by something other than moral convictions and an intrinsic sense of fairness? In an extended discussion with some colleagues recently, we debated whether or not whistle-blowers are actually the brave soldiers making a determined stand, as I’ve painted them to be, or are they simply a bunch of malcontents who were either left out of the honey pot or simply jealous and, dare I say, bad mind?

On one hand, it is easy to assume that whistle-blowers possess higher levels of moral courage, putting the overall well-being of society above their own self-interest. This assumption is challenged, however, when a little cash is sprinkled into the mix, given that monetary rewards for whistle-blowing significantly increase the uptick in whistle-blowing activity. Does this therefore reduce the moral courage argument, suggesting that some amount of self-interest and individual benefit is still at play? Or is it quite as simple as getting oxtail gravy as an added bonus with your fried chicken and rice, since you’d be ordering the fried chicken anyway?

FAIRNESS VS LOYALTY

The relationship between moral courage and the decision to blow the proverbial whistle is clearly a complex one. Having great moral courage by itself doesn’t automatically translate to a whistle-blowing decision. For example, whistle-blowers, even those with a high degree of moral values, must often decide between what is fair and what is loyal. In other words, “I know this is wrong, but I must be loyal to my co-workers, my organisation, my friends.” If all our national whistle-blowing infrastructure is built around, therefore, is good people having good moral values, then corruption and crime will continue to thrive.

And this is where organisational culture and behaviour come in. For our national whistle-blowing programmes to be successful, organisations must put clear, tangible systems in place to encourage, support and facilitate whistle-blowing. While they must educate employees about appropriate channels for reporting corrupt or criminal behaviour, they must also institute mechanisms to protect those who do. These actions will go a much longer way towards encouraging whistle-blowing than simply hoping that persons will just get up and do the right thing.

MOTIVATED BY MISCHIEF

Now at the other end of the spectrum, there are those whistle-blowers who have no elevated sense of moral obligation or heightened sense of justice. The ‘malcontents’ I call them. You can call them ‘the bad mind’. These are the people who see and know what is happening, and disapprove because quite simply, they were either left out of the racket or were unable to benefit from it in the first place. They themselves, at one point or the other, may even have been in on the scheme but have turned on their co-conspirators for some reason. Is their information any less helpful or less valuable simply because it didn’t come from a pure, righteous and heavenly place?

Quite frankly, I don’t care. And neither should you. People report illegal activities for a wide range of reasons. And while yes, it does generate a little bit more of those feel-good endorphins to imagine that our society is full of people of high moral value and courage, the motivation of the malcontented should be just as valuable.

Whether we are talking about conscientious objectors or the jealous and bad mind, we must continue to encourage persons to come forward to expose corruption and injustice in society. Had it not been for the volume of tips, leaks and confidential disclosures that have prompted these national-level investigations, we would never know just how deep and how wide our country is being robbed of taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars, and just how ingrained and endemic organised crime has become over the years.

One of my favourite quotes this year is the now common refrain that ‘Sunlight is the best disinfectant’. How apt given our current twin pandemic of COVID and corruption. But while COVID seems to wither and wilt during the hot, sunny summer months, corruption and crime seem to know no season. We must therefore continue to encourage our front-line responders – our journalists, our watchdog agencies, our security personnel, our law enforcement investigators, our morally upright, and yes, even our jealous and bad mind, to continue to illuminate and expose those who remain determined to continue to stifle this great country.

Major Basil Jarrett is a communications strategist and CEO of Artemis Consulting, a communications consulting firm specialising in crisis communications and reputation management.