By EMILY GILLER
Finding the courage to stand up and fight for beliefs was the theme of the American Whistleblower Tour, which made a stop at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln on Tuesday.
The tour, which was held at the Lied Center for Performing Arts, consisted of a panel of professionals who exposed wrongdoing in government. They included Gary Aguirre, who blew the whistle on the Security and Exchange Commission; Thomas Drake, who tried to expose massive NSA mismanagement; Mike McGraw, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist from the Kansas City Star; and Jesselyn Radack, a Department of Justice whistleblower.
When asked why more people don’t stand up and expose illegalities, Drake replied that people don’t want to take on institutions.
“They hide from what’s going on,” he said.
When asked what his advice was for young people who faced difficult ethical decisions, McGraw quipped: “Call me.”
McGraw told students that it’s up to them to find the courage and decide what they need to do in order to live with themselves.
“Often I ask myself if I have the courage to do that,” McGraw said.