“uncompromisable," while concerns about consequences require calculations about empirical matters.
Weighing the Consequences
In her essay "Blowing the Whistle," Bok (1981) suggests that whistle-blowers ought to be aware of their moral responsibility and carefully weigh the consequences of their decisions. She dissects the act of whistleblowing, slicing it into three elements: dissent, breach of loyalty, and accusation. These elements provide the framework with .which to discuss possible harms and benefits and from these elements flow a distinct set of issues and questions to help in the decisionmaking process. For Bok, approaching whistleblowing in this manner forces an individual to examine a range of issues while weighing their moral implications
Dissent: The subject of the whistleblower's dissent, unlike other dissenters, is narrow and concerns negligence, abuse, and public risk. Because those who dissent on these grounds believe they do so to benefit the public, whistleblowers have an obligation to consider the nature of this promised benefit as they weigh the possible harm that may come to persons, institutions, and the public itself from their speaking out. For Bok, those thinking about blowing the whistle must consider the accuracy of the facts they have gathered: How serious is the impropriety? How imminent is the threat they warn about? How closely linked is the wrongdoing to those accused of doing it?
Loyalty: For Bok, because whistleblowers breach loyalty to their agency and colleagues, whistleblowing is viewed as a last alternative_ Still, she argues, whistleblowing ought to be an option when there is no time to go through routine channels, when institutions are so corrupt or coercive that they would automatically silence the whistleblower, or when there are no internal channels available for bringing the problem to light.
Accusation: Publicly accusing people of serious wrongdoing requires that the whistleblower meet a number of ethical obligations, according to Bok. Potential whistleblowers must consider the fairness of their accusations for the persons being accused; they must consider whether the public is entitled to this information; they must consider their responsibility and not choose anonymity, if at all possible. Most important, they must do some soul searching about their own motives,