whistle blowers 

why whistle blowing is a noble act yet risky? because group loyalty condemn it and it is considered as treason in murky waters of  national security! Though most of us  are not thinking  in becoming a whistle blowers like  Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning, and Edward Snowden, Nonetheless we approve the heroic act of such individuals because they bring many rewards for our societies, reminding us how vital it is that our  democratic values are preserved.  Image in our contemporary society generally overwhelms pedigree of substance and the truth is usually the victim. Compromise over moral imperative for self interested rational has become the norm in capitalistic societies where elite with the help of main stream media control information channels and the content at the expense of our civic rights.

Whilst whistle blowing is considered a trade off  between fairness and loyalty, question remains why and what are the reasons behind dissents?  Fairness & loyalty generally take a second proceeding where and when  ethics is concerned. It is the ethics that drives man kind to adhere himself to values that transcends him above pettiness. Ethics is the deep rooted in man's conscious that allow man to make sense of his existence in other words ethics is moral principles that govern a person's behaviour for the conducting of an activity. 

The psychology of whistle blowing James Dungan1 , Adam Waytz1 and Liane Young "available on line" - is about: Experimental data reveal the double-edged nature of whistle blowing. Experiments have compared settings where it is possible or not possible for individuals to voice information about another person’s unethical behaviour (similar to whistle blowing), looking in particular at whether individuals then choose to exchange goods in a competitive, self-interested fashion or in a cooperative, pro social fashion. Giving individuals an opportunity to blow the whistle increases cooperation and decreases selfishness within collectives. These results point to the positive consequences of whistle blowing for groups. By contrast, other studies that have examined people’s responses to those who speak out against morally questionable behaviour (i.e. whistle blowers); dissenting individuals are often denigrated by the ones who themselves engaged in morally questionable behaviour. These studies again show that whistle blowing can be to the detriment of group harmony.

Then, why the authorities who themselves are engaged in morally questionable behaviour have the rights to go after the likes of Julian Assange. Chelsea Manning, Edward Snowden? The logic of these individuals who have become whistle blowers, is on building the kind of community that values constructive dissent while maintaining group loyalty.   Individual though are highly committed to their group such as Snowden, & Chelsea manning express their dissent when they notice  shameful behaviour of authorities harmful to the group’s interests and society.  it is thus up to society to protect its civic rights by standing firm behind whistle blowers.