Whistleblowers have been responsible for bringing many illegal

Whistleblowers have been responsible for bringing many illegal or unethical situations to light. There are several modern examples of whistleblowers that we can examine. In this assessment, you are asked to identify the communication strategy used and analyze the ethical and communication issues surrounding one of these scenarios.

1. Captain Crozier's Letter - Captain Brett Crozier, a thirty-year veteran of the United States Navy, was in command of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, an aircraft carrier with 4000 sailors on board. In March 2020, Crozier faced a problem: Many members of his crew were contracting and becoming ill from the then-new COVID-19 virus. Captain Crozer wrote a letter in which he asked to move sailors off the ship to contain the outbreak. The communication was sent to several recipients in the Navy, and eventually someone shared the letter with the news media.
2. Erin Brockovich and PG&E - Erin Brockovich became a whistleblower when she spoke out against Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) after finding widespread unexplained illness in the town of Hinkley, California while working as a legal assistant. PG&E had contaminated the town's drinking water with toxic chromium 6. She decided to expose the issue by gathering evidence, connecting with affected residents, and advocating for their rights.
3. Enron - The Enron corporation was a company dealing in energy resources based in Houston, Texas. Enron's scandal involved dubious accounting practices, leading to bankruptcy. Executives engaged in fraudulent transactions, hiding losses and inflating profits. These issues were exposed by Sherron Watkins, one of the executives in the company.
4. OceanGate - In June 2023, the OceanGate submersible Titan embarked on a voyage to the wreck of the Titanic with five passengers, including the CEO, on board. The submersible experienced a catastrophic hull failure, resulting in the loss of the vessel and all passengers. David Lochridge, the director of marine operations, expressed concerns about the safety of the ship years prior to the disaster.

Consider the whistleblower's decision to expose the illegal or unethical activity, their motivation, the manner in which they communicated the issues, and the recipient(s) of the communication. Complete both parts of this assessment in a single Word document and be sure to cite all sources using APA reference style.  

• Part 1 should be a minimum of 3–4 pages, double spaced.
• Part 2 should be a minimum of 1 page, double spaced.
  • Page counts does not include your cover page or reference page.

Part 1: Analyze the Scenario

Using at least two of the provided scenarios:

• Analyze the ethical decision that the whistleblower faced as it relates to how they communicated.
  • Consider the sender, receiver, message, and channel.
• Analyze the outcomes of the communication strategy.
  • Make sure to consider how the communication was distributed, the possible intent, and the content of the communication.
• Describe the effectiveness of the communication in the scenario.
  • Focus on how specific events were influenced by the communication.
  • What were the primary failures and successes?

Part 2: Write a Communication

Imagine that you are working in the same industry as the whistleblower in your chosen scenario and have followed this sequence of events closely. Your research has provided you with a great deal that can be applied to your industry, and you are anxious to share your lessons learned from the situation.

• Write a communication to a colleague that conveys and reinforces the primary lessons learned from the incident.
  • Be sure to focus on the actions of the whistleblower in your communication.
  • The medium is your choice, but it is also very important, so state the medium you have chosen within your message and the reason you feel it is the most appropriate medium to use. Address possible reasons such as confidentiality, tone, and convention.