2017 Whistleblower of the Year

Whistleblower Insider wants to hear from you on who should be honored as the 2017 Whistleblower of the Year. We are especially interested in those individuals who best encapsulate the qualities of the typical whistleblower — courage, strength, integrity, selflessness and a deep concern for public health and safety. You can choose among the  candidates listed below, or identify your own candidate. Please vote for and identify as many candidates as you like. The more the merrier.  And please add in the comments section below why your candidate is deserving of the honor. Voting will continue through the end of January with results of your top selections to be announced shortly thereafter. Thanks for voting!

James Comey — Comey led the FBI from September 2013 until he was dismissed in May 2017 after unclassified memoranda he penned regarding his meetings with President Trump became public. Comey, concerned about potential abuse of power, had shared the relevant memoranda with a friend, intending that the friend disclose the memoranda to the press. Learn more about James Comey.

Joel Clement —  After publicly disclosing how climate change affects Alaska Native communities, Mr. Clement was reassigned to an accounting position for which he had no experience. Believing he was a victim of unlawful employment retaliation, Mr. Clement spoke out in a Washington Post piece entitled I’m a scientist. I’m blowing the whistle on the Trump administration. Learn more about Joel Clement.

Sanofi Aventis — Sanofi Aventis US, the US subsidiary of the French pharmaceutical giant, took on Mylan for misclassifying Mylan’s EpiPen as a generic drug to avoid paying higher Medicaid rebates. Sanofi’s whistleblower pursuit resulted in a payout by Mylan of $465 million of which Sanofi received an award of roughly $39 million, one of the largest whistleblower awards this year. Learn more about Sanofi Aventis.

Susan Fowler — On February 19, 2017, former Uber engineer Susan Fowler fired the shot heard round Silicon Valley. In her explosive blog post, “Reflecting on One Very, Very Strange Year at Uber,” Ms. Fowler described rampant sexual harassment and institutionalized sexism at one of the tech world’s most hyped companies. In the process, she inspired others to come forward, and forced reckonings from Hollywood to Capitol Hill. Learn more about Susan Fowler.

Paradise Papers Whistleblower(s) — An unnamed whistleblower (or whistleblowers) responsible for shining a light on the widespread use of illicit offshore tax havens. In turning over the 13.4 million documents, the Paradise Papers whistleblower prompted hundreds of investigations, and drew attention to the two-tiered system by which the rich and powerful avoid contributing to the economic wellbeing of their home nations, shifting the relative tax burden to the less savvy. Learn more about the Paradise Papers Whistleblower(s).

Weinstein Whistleblowers — The many women who came forward to face down years of sexual harassment—and worse—from producer Harvey Weinstein, helping to spark a long overdue national conversation. They told of Weinstein’s abuse of power, wielding his position of authority within the movie industry to coerce people into unwanted sexual contact, and of his ruthless retribution against those who resisted him. As a result of the allegations, Weinstein was fired from his own company and kicked out of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Learn more about the Weinstein Whistleblowers.

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