請別叫我「爪耙子」：臺灣吹哨者的故事

Abstract

美國發生「水門案」將近四十年後，臺灣媒體依然將揭發組織內部弊端的吹哨者稱為「深喉嚨」。許多人對吹哨者不甚了解，或許誤認為他是陰謀論中的神秘角色，或是台語俗稱的「爪耙子」。中華文化，強調個人對團體的忠誠。一位驚爆內幕、跟老闆和工作夥伴逆向而行的員工，讓人難以接受，因此受到很多誤解。 然而，臺灣社會充滿正面的吹哨者故事。光是過去五年，臺灣就有四位著名的吹哨者，揭露三家臺灣公司的內部弊端。這些公司分別是新海瓦斯公司、中華航空、和年代新聞台。四位吹哨者的故事顯示，當員工為了公眾利益和人民知的權利，爆料大組織的秘密，他們通常命運坎坷。臺灣能為他們做些什麼？ 本篇報導探討臺灣吹哨者的過去、現在、和未來。透過田野調查，本報導在前半段重建四位吹哨者揭發內幕的經歷。報導的後半段，則介紹日本、英國、美國等先進國家的吹哨者保護法制，並探討公司治理的法律遵循機制，企圖讓吹哨者對社會的貢獻最大化、降低他們受到的傷害。 吹哨者面臨的種種問題，雖然不易解答，但是本篇報導希望引起相關的跨領域討論，同時在媒體論述中突破現有的負面刻板印象。吹哨者，不應被視作故弄心機的「爪耙子」。如果社會能夠保護他們，也會因此受益。

It is truly amazing that nearly four decades after the events of the Watergate scandal, the misnomer for whistleblowers in the Taiwanese media is still the term “Deep Throat.” To the public, the whistleblower remains an elusive, unknowable figure, part conspiracy theory myth, part stereotypical tattletale. The Chinese culture places great emphasis on loyalty. The concept of a positive character who informs on his fellows can be difficult to swallow. And yet, the Taiwanese society is not without its share of positive instances of whistleblowing. In the past five years alone, there have been four famous whistleblowers, concerned in three separate cases, involving natural gas provider Shin Hai Gas Corporation, air travel giant China Airlines, and cable news channel Era News, respectively. The stories of these whistleblowers raise an important question: what can Taiwan do for its courageous citizens who go against their own employers for the greater good? This report focuses on the past, present, and future of Taiwanese whistleblowers. By conducting field research, we attempt to present the exact sequence of events that propelled these four whistleblowers into the public spotlight. At the same time, we analyze the legal protection afforded whistleblowers in more advanced countries, such as Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as the concepts of corporate governance and legal compliance, in our search for a solution to the whistleblower dilemma. While a clear-cut solution may ultimately elude us, this report hopes to spark a series of interdisciplinary discussions on the matter of whistleblowers, and to find a proper place in the public narrative for these ordinary heroes. For too long, whistleblowers have been besmirched as opportunistic tattletales. Redressing that wrong will go a long way in helping society become more appreciative and protective of them.