In a new article for The Hill, whistleblower attorney Stephen M. Kohn, partner at qui tam firm Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto and Executive Director of the National Whistleblower Center, responds to Whistleblower Network News’s newly-released Marist poll. Kohn notes that the poll, which reveals overwhelming support for whistleblowers amongst the American public, is the first highly rated poll to ask exclusively about whistleblowers.
Kohn highlights key data points from the poll’s three questions and concludes that “across all demographics, the American people strongly support whistleblowers.” He also takes specific note of responses to the third polling question, which asked if respondents would be more likely to vote for candidates who support strengthening whistleblower laws. According to Kohn, “given the competition among issues, such as the environment, gun control, or abortion, the fact that 44 percent of likely voters also would take a candidate’s position on whistleblowing into consideration when they cast their ballot is a game changer.”
Kohn, who has represented whistleblowers for over 30 years, ends the piece by reflecting on what the poll reveals about shifts in the overall attitude towards whistleblowing in America:
In the past, whistleblowers often begged their representatives for modest protections against retaliation. Many of these laws never worked in practice, others were never passed. The Marist poll paints a very different picture. Despite all of the sharp politically partisan disputes that have surrounded whistleblowers over the past few years (such as the controversy surrounding the “Ukraine whistleblower”) the American people remain firm: Whistleblowers must be supported. Congress must pass better laws. Politicians who attack whistleblowers will face backlash from millions of voters. Whistleblowers are no longer the skunks at the picnic.
Read the full The Hill piece: No longer the ‘skunks at the picnic:’ Poll finds strong support for whistleblowers.
View the full Poll Results: Whistleblower Network News Survey | Are Whistleblowers Truly Protected?
