Business Week, the liberal business magazine, has a nice commentary by Patricia O'Connell on whistleblowers in the wake of the revelation that Mark Felt was Deep Throat. There can be complicated issues of personal loyalty here, but overall whistleblowing is heroic and undervalued; and, as O'Connell points out, lonely, difficult, and dangerous. We shouldn't underestimate the pressures to go along with evil and keep quiet about it; we owe a great debt to those who speak out.
The Nixon Administration hacks and GOP hacks who are attacking Felt ought to be ashamed of themselves, if they can remember what shame is.
(I'd like to remind you that Joseph Darby, the Abu Ghraib whistleblower, for at least a time was in protective custody. Bravo to the Kennedy foundation for giving him a Profile in Courage award; the government should recognize him as well.)
Posted by Matt Weiner at June 3, 2005 12:10 PM