Whistleblowing is an important element of the human right of freedom of expression, which underpins an individual’s ability to speak truth to power without fear of intimidation or victimisation. It is a developing area of research, reflecting a growing public interest borne of greater visibility through social media and the high visibility of incidents of wrongdoing in business, healthcare, child welfare, religious orders, defence and security.

This symposium will examine why people do – and do not – blow the whistle when they could do so, examining complicity and compliance in economic and social wrongdoing. 

Speakers: Baroness Susan Kramer, Co-Chair All Party Parliamentary Group on Whistleblowing

Rt Hon Kevin Hollinrake MP, Co-Chair All Party Parliamentary Group on Fairer Business Banking

Professor John Blenkinsopp, Northumbria University

Professor Emanuela Ceva, University of Geneva

Professor Marianna Fotaki, Warwick Business School

Professor Kate Kenny, National University of Ireland, Galway

Professor Iain Munro, University of Newcastle

Dr Lorenzo Pasculli, Coventry University

Laura Fatah, Protect

Programme: Please see the full programme for a detailed schedule and speaker bios: Full schedule Whistleblowing symposium (PDF , 326kb)

Platform: Zoom (registration is required)

Registration: Please email James Killen (james.killen@york.ac.uk) to register for the event, providing your name, email address and organisational affiliation.

Organisers: The organisers are PhD researchers at the University of York. They are based in the departments of Politics, Philosophy and Law, and at the interdisciplinary Centre for Applied Human Rights.  Ian Foxley is researching the underlying reasons why individuals did not blow the whistle in a case study in which he was involved; Zoe Porter is exploring questions around personal moral accountability in complex systems involving multiple agents; and James Killen is looking at the mental health consequences of moral decision making.

The event is hosted by the Research School of Social Sciences at the University of York