In response to criticism that scientists working for the National Aeronautical and Space Agency have been prevented from criticizing the agency’s operation and policies, NASA has agreed to draft policies that would grant their employees greater freedom of dissent.
Under the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989, expanded in 1994, whistleblowers have been favored in only 3 of 206 cases filed in the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals. The new policies would address the loopholes in the protection act. As David Mosher writes for Wired, “Under current legal precedents, whistleblowers can be fired or punished in retaliation, or have their cases dismissed for waiting too long to file complaints.” -db
From Wired, August 22, 2011, by Dave Mosher.