Indications of political affiliation can undermine the validity of a whistleblower’s disclosure.36 Societal factors also have the power to influence how whistleblowers are treated by the government – for instance, whether they are likely to be prosecuted by authorities for revealing inside information. A case in point is Latvia, which does not have well-development whistleblower frameworks. Recent cases have seen whistleblowers criminally prosecuted for exposing or attempting to expose wrongdoing.37 However, citizens in some EU countries have begun to look at whistleblowers with a fresh perspective. In Portugal, despite frequent retribution against whistleblowers and an almost complete lack of legal protections, whistleblowers themselves have reported that as many people consider them to be heroes as snitches.38 Such positive shifts have also been seen in the corporate world: •
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Seven out of eight senior executives surveyed in the UK said they are free to report cases of fraud or corruption, compared to 54 per cent in the rest of Europe.39 This may be a product of PIDA, which was passed in 1998 following a lengthy and public debate that built strong support within business and political establishments. In Poland, nearly two-thirds of company managers support the idea of rewarding whistleblowers, compared to 38 per cent for Western Europe.40
Positive changes can also be seen in media coverage. Throughout the EU, the mainstream media is paying more attention to whistleblowers and the information they disclose. Negative terms for whistleblowing such as snitch and informer are still commonly used in the media and by citizens and politicians. But it seems that a turning point has been reached. Today, whistleblowers are far more likely to be seen as heroes and public servants than as recently as a decade ago. Given the power that the media has in shaping public opinion, this shift can contribute to improving the image and perception of whistleblowers.
36
Constantinos Kombos, Providing an Alternative to Silence: Towards Greater Protection and Support for Whistleblowers in the EU. Country Report: Cyprus (Cyprus: November 2012), p. 19. 37 MārtiĦš Birks, ‘Neo lieta’ – noziedzīgs nodarījums vai ‘ziĦotāja’ apklusināšana’, Jurista Vārds, No. 25, 19 June 2012, www.juristavards.lv/index.php?menu=auth&id=249232 (accessed 20 October 2013); ‘Aizdomas par policistes korumpētību - pret ziĦotāju sāk lietu’, Neatkarīgā Rīta Avīze, 3 June 2012, http://nra.lv/latvija/73217-aizdomas-parpolicistes-korumpetibu-pret-zinotaju-sak-lietu.htm (accessed 20 October 2013). 38 Interviews of whistleblowers with David Marques, Transparência e Integridade, Associação Cívica, Portugal, 2012. 39 Paul Stephenson and Michael Levi, The Protection of Whistleblowers: A study on the feasibility of a legal instrument on the protection of employees who make disclosures in the public interest, for Council of Europe, 20 December 2012, p. 20, www.coe.int/t/DGHL/STANDARDSETTING/CDcj/Documents/CDCJ%202012/CDCJ_2012_9e_FIN_Feasibility_Study_ protection_whistleblowers_en.pdf (accessed 20 October 2013). 40 Ernst & Young, O krok dalej: miejsce na uczciwość w biznesie. 12 światowe badanie naduŜyć gospodarczych, 2012, www.blog.ey.pl/audytsledczy/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/raport-12-swiatowe-badanie-naduzyc-gospodarczych.pdf (accessed 20 October 2013).
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