Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site riccb.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!houxm!hropus!riccb!rjnoe
From: rjnoe@riccb.UUCP (Roger J. Noe)
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: Re: Resignations (engineering ethics)
Message-ID: <649@riccb.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 18-Mar-86 18:23:51 EST
Article-I.D.: riccb.649
Posted: Tue Mar 18 18:23:51 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 21-Mar-86 02:54:56 EST
References: <[MC.LCS.MIT.EDU].852694.860316.KFL>
Organization: Rockwell International - Downers Grove, IL
Lines: 38

>   I don't think, in general, that it is reasonable for an employee of
> any company to tell the news media that the company's product is
> unsafe.  Not only is he likely to be fired, he is apt to be sued for
> libel.  And rightly so.  Unless he has good evidence that his employer
> is engaged in a criminal conspiracy.
> 								...Keith

Suppose there's a chemical engineer out there somewhere who works for a
major pharmaceutical company.  Suppose the engineer knows that the company
is allowing amounts of certain harmful substances into one of its products
in excess of what the FDA has identified as "safe".  Suppose this is a
product taken daily by thousands of people, maybe even you.  If you knew
of these things, would you want the engineer to tell anyone?  If not the
FDA, what's wrong with media?

Sure, he could be fired and sued by his employer for slander.  But they'd
lose the suit because the engineer (1) acted without malice toward anyone,
since he was concerned for the public safety, (2) he acted believing that
his knowledge was correct, and (3) he did not display a reckless disregard
for the truth.  The employer would need to show that these three items were
opposite than what I have described to win a slander suit.  And it is very
likely they would lose heavily in court if they fired him for speaking out.
Not only is that violating freedom of speech principles, but it would be an
unlawful termination of an employment contract.  Employers are losing these
termination-at-will suits all over, and losing BIG.  If they don't have a
very good reason to back up their decision, they could end up in VERY hot
water.  And they'd take a real beating in the public image department, too.

If the engineer first makes his concerns known to his management and he is
reassured by managers and executives (who are not experts like he is) that
they know of the situation and "It's all OK, don't worry about it" then there
IS a conspiracy to withhold the information.  Whether or not the conspiracy
is criminal or not depends on whether or not the act they're keeping secret
is criminal.  But an act doesn't have to be criminal to be unethical.  It
doesn't even have to be illegal to be unethical.  Any lawyer will tell you
that law and ethics have almost nothing to do with each other. :-)
--
Roger Noe			ihnp4!riccb!rjnoe